ZONAMI WEEK 2016
by Hanzatsu-Hime
Summary: Here is where I posted the fanfics I wrote for ZoNami Week 2016! There was an event taking place on tumblr, & if you're interested, please see the ZoNamiEvents there for more information! Otherwise, feel free to check out the stories I've written based off of the themes suggested & voted on by the people of the Zoro x Nami communities across the internet! Enjoy! (Various ratings!)
1. Enough (Oh Say Say Say)

**Enough (Oh Say Say Say)**

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 01:** Jealousy

 **Rating:** K+ (fluff and romance)

 **Summary:** _dfn._ – resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage

 **Word Count:** 6,246 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** I listened to "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs while writing this story, so please feel free to do the same as you read!

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There weren't many things of which Roronoa Zoro was envious of. He was not a religious man – faith of any kind typically taught the downfall of envy to those who practiced – yet he tended to be free of such a vice. Perhaps it was due to his apodictic strength, or the resolute approach he held while stepping over the milestones of his life that prevented him from even associating himself with the transgressive trait. There were no grudges held in his heart that could weigh down his spirit, because he was indeed unrestrained in every way.

Until he met the world's greatest navigator, that is.

Until his life held a plan that was meant to proceed in conjunction with others, Zoro had simply wandered through the thresholds of his meager existence without pondering anything too deeply. Whether he had traveled alone or with friends, so long as he had a place to rest his head at night, there was nothing to fret over. His philosophy was monk-like in the eyes of some, given his minimalistic lifestyle, opposed solely by the urge to contest his power; were it not for his dream to become the world's greatest swordsman in his own right, it was possible to consider him the most virtuous of his friends and family.

If he had never met _her_ , that is.

Sighing to himself deeply enough to challenge the lull of the spring-like breeze, the disgruntled first mate of the Straw Hats crew stared out at the ocean from the peak on which he stood. Autumn was considered a reflective season – or, so he had been told once or twice before – however, the urgency in the wind to have him return to the sea gave rise to the impudence inside of the supposedly holy man and compelled him to stand on the edge of the cliff, allowing his mind to drift just as listlessly as the waters below him. It was no surprise to his otherwise disengaged thought process that the concept of jealousy rose to the top of an immaterial list of possible topics to consider when he found his solitary peace, even though he denied that it existed within himself at all.

Only where _she_ was concerned, would he ever question its stake in his otherwise cleansed spirit.

"There you are!" Sounding relieved, the woman who supposedly held the power to tempt him, compel him to behave sinfully revealed her approach as she called to him from a few steps behind him.

Zoro lazily looked back at the redheaded woman over his bare shoulder and immediately caught sight of the frenzy of flower petals being tossed about by the warm gusts of air sneaking into the tendrils of her hair. Pink, white, yellow flowers that had been happily sitting upon their branches fell victim to the pressure of the lackluster whirlwind that flitted in from the sea and created a picturesque image of Nami, complimenting her natural femininity as she approached him in a simple sundress. She carried with her the image of a woman who lived in the woods of Proserpina, thrived in them, as if she was not truly a woman of the sea.

Ignoring her previous summons, Zoro indirectly asked her as he turned his attention back towards the sea, "You done wandering yet?"

"Me?" She dared to sound astounded that he dared to say such a thing. "You're supposed to be with the others, listening to the village elder tell the legend of this place." As she explained her surprise, Nami came to stand beside the swordsman who had secretly been cursing her before her sudden arrival. Arms stretched above her head, releasing a pleasant sound of relief, it was quite easy to assume that she had enjoyed her lone trek throughout the thriving woods before spying him and his companionless state.

Zoro found himself complying with the urge to cross his arms over his bare chest when he replied, "I'm not interested in that." The folds of his robe's upper half spilled over the haramaki that guarded his hips and yet failed to shield the hilts of his swords. He recalled the existence of the navigator's Climatact in that moment and glanced over her body, immediately taking note that she did not have her signature weapon on her person. The swordsman thought that to be somewhat foolish of her, yet he refrained from voicing such a potentially instigative opinion. He knew from experience that he had made a wise decision.

"Well, would you be interested in _exploring_ some of the island's secrets with me?" Offered Nami with that signature tone of voice of hers that truly meant he had very little choice in the matter.

Still, the offer to do something at least marginally productive on the otherwise idle island intrigued him. "What secrets?"

Snickering, the navigator leaned in close – the top of her head stopping just at the tip of his nose, even in her favourite pair of heels – and whispered with a cheeky grin, "I found an entrance to a cave a few feet from here. No one mentioned it to us when we arrived, so I was wondering if there might be something…important down there."

"Don't you mean, something _treasurable_?"

A soft palm landed on his bare shoulder the very instant that the wind picked up once again. "I _mean_ , something that could tell us more about Proserpina than some old story could."

A curious brow arched above his unscarred eye. "You don't trust the people here?"

"I think they aren't going to give us the grand tour themselves," Was the oblique answer she gave him. "Let the rest of the crew entertain the villagers and keep them occupied – we can go down there and see what we can find, okay?"

Though he refused to say so aloud – to protect his own hide more than anything else – the prospect of partaking in a covert mission was quite appealing to the swordsman; he had nothing else to do with his time other than sleep; a member of his crew had expressed distrust towards the civilians and therefore earned his immediate cooperation; being with the navigator guaranteed that he wouldn't find himself meandering aimlessly until he happened upon the village.

A burning sense of that aforementioned jealousy flared in his chest then.

"Fine. Let's go, then." Grumbled Zoro as he dropped his guarded pose and faced her properly, almost as if he was issuing her some sort of informal challenge. Staring down into her warm brown eyes, it was all he could do not to depart from the cliff before her, internally unsettled about her swift admonishment of his directional sense if he stepped off in the wrong direction before the exploration even truly began. Without further prompting, Nami grinned from ear to ear and stepped away from his side with glee in her step. So swift in her movements, a few of the loose petals that had infested her orange strands fluttered to the ground before him; absentmindedly did he watch their descent, bewitched for reasons he could not fathom entirely.

It was in his momentary distraction, however, that the familiarity of a smooth, delicate hand dragged him from not only his thoughts, but from his stance at the peak as well; Nami's impatience had compelled her to daringly tug the infamous swordsman along with her by the thickness of his wrist. "N-Nami!" Zoro snarled at her defiantly. Her overbearing action did nothing to quell the rise of inferiority in him, even if quarreling with her was a familiarity that oddly soothed him at times.

"Then keep up!" She fought back without missing a beat. In the blink of his lone eye, his wrist was freed from her grasp, and once again the warm breeze toyed with his sensibility as it caressed the skin the moment she released him from her hold. The difference was quite noticeable, and yet, Zoro behaved as though he was still thoroughly unamused with her imperious attitude. Never mind the otherwise peaceable nature to the island, it would take him a moment or two to properly extinguish the irritation from his bones.

His lack of directional…competence was not secret amongst those who knew him well. Typically, it did not bother him all too greatly. It was only in moments where Nami was concerned that his inadequacy reared its ugly head. Why, he wondered in moments such as these; the navigator was meant to be intelligent and directionally savvy, where as it was his duty to protect the crew and the Thousand Sunny from those who wished to do them harm. If he thought deeply enough, Zoro might even admit that the both of them had overachieved and surpassed many who shared their talents.

So then, why did it bother him on the odd occasion when she exercised her personified skill?

Following closely behind her as she guided him around the overgrown roots of some trees and the precarious entanglement of others, it was clear that his faith in her instinctive, internal compass wasn't questionable: he trusted her to lead their crew to the end of the Grand Line from very early on in their journey. Even when she had betrayed them momentarily, Luffy's expressed devotion to her and the role she played for their future enforced the belief that no one throughout the entirety of the world could fulfill the role of a navigator more superiorly than Nami.

In the same regard, there was no way she had any plans to supersede him in his dream to overtake Mihawk and become the world's greatest swordsman. They each had their dignified and specifically designed roles to play, which only strengthened their positions in the crew they both considered to be their makeshift family. There was surely a possibility that she was envious of his superior physical strength at times, regardless of how mighty she could be with that weather-creating staff of hers. A contemptible voice inside of him dared to hope that she sometimes felt as deficient as he did, and the scowl he wore minutes ago once again curved the line of his lips until the corners sunk into his cheeks.

Such negativity, simply because he couldn't walk a straight line without losing his way.

It was with great relief that he spied a precarious opening at the bottom of the path they were currently strolling along, the elevation of the land sinking suddenly in the midst of the woods. Though unnecessary, the navigator felt the urge to point out, "We're here."

"This cave isn't exactly hidden," Zoro noted. "Why do you think we should check it out?"

For a moment, there was silence, between them, around them. Nami did not even face him while her head rolled from side to side, most likely taking in the design of the entrance. He knew that she had heard his question; though uninterested in playing the patient conversationalist, her inability to keep pace with him was compelling, to say the least.

Even so, she sidestepped his ask of her once again when she took the opportunity to mimic him and glance over her shoulder at his curious face. "You should probably go first."

"Huh? Why?"

"In case there are wild animals in there, or something."

The bored, irritated look he shot her did nothing to modify her strategy. It felt as though she had brought him along simply as a body guard when she assigned him the role of a human shield, and it nearly infuriated him that she had roped him into her inappropriate expedition so uncaringly. Prepared to snap, he felt his voice rise in volume as he said her name, "Nami—"

His mouth was still open in order to carry on with his intended admonishment of her scheme when the faintest rumbling of voices in the distance caught his attention, placing his instincts on high alert.

"What? What's wrong?"  
"Shhh!" warned the first mate before he was forced to comply with her plan of action and raced towards the entrance of the cave. His mind vaguely interpreted the distance of the murmurs in the woods to be a dozen or so feet away, giving them a fair chance to sneak inside a fair depth before they risked being spotted. With heavy tip-toed steps did he take on the role she had assigned him as the escort and led Nami inside the hollowed tunnel before them as discreetly as he possible. Staring forward, it was impossible for one of the major setbacks to their journey to go unnoticed, though.

"It's pitch black in here!" Zoro whispered with a furious tone to his voice. Thankfully, the sounds he made barely buzzed as they filled the earthy space, promising to diminish the risk of being found should they need to speak more often than not during their descent into the cave.

"It isn't _that_ dark," argued Nami in the same voice, however, she housed a somewhat defensiveness in every word, "and our eyes will adjust the longer we're down here."

"We're only staying down here until we know those guys in the forest are gone!" Instructed the agitated first mate to the navigator at his back.

She scoffed at him before answering, "I'm surprised that a guy who sleeps so much is scared of the dark."

"I'm _not_ scared of the dark! We can't even see anything, Nami!"

"Shut up! Don't say my name if people are following us down here!"

With great familiarity did he feel his teeth begin to grind against each other, his jaw tense while he frowned at her childish response. Zoro could not deny the stupidity he felt then and there as he cursed her inside of his mind, all while continuing to abide by her plan to explore the cave; no one toyed with his sense of self more so than _she_ did, and it angered him to no end how he always found himself in such familiar situations with no means of escape.

Ignoring his plight, Nami muttered from behind him, "Make sure you walk along the side."  
"Why?" He bit out instantly.

She failed to acknowledge his anger in his words even when she responded to them, "The path is about to become unsteady, probably; we can hold onto each other if we need support."

Just as she provided him with her warning, Zoro lost his footing partially as the cave dipped at an odd angle, indicating the beginning of their descent. The heel of his boot planted itself into the ground so that he could decipher just how steep their trek would be from this point onward, and he realized quite quickly that Nami's suggestion of taking one another's hands while the moved was a very intelligent decision.

Given that he could guide her and release her if he was about to fall the rest of the way.

He wondered if this was her way of leading him on his descent to hell.

"Here; take my hand." Zoro commanded in a less abrasive tone while holding out his open palm, steady, refusing to seek her out in the darkness.

"What—where?" Whined the proud woman behind him. He waited in place while she searched for his offering and when she located his hand, she slapped hers down onto his, creating a rather loud sound when their skin clashed.

"Quiet!" Zoro scolded her with a low growl.  
"All right!" Nami snapped back at her unamused guide. Of course she would refrain from apologizing for the sting that radiated off of his palm, or the volume of her voice that risked them being discovered; she possessed as many negative qualities as she did positive, and he couldn't tell if that made her compelling or insufferable at times. In moments such as these, he tended to favour the latter.

The deeper they sunk into the cavern's darkness, the less light they were gifted with to take in their surroundings. It only made the entirety of the situation feel even more foolish, so very ridiculous, that they would take on this excursion without informing anyone of their whereabouts. Enel forbid they end up stranded! How proficient were her navigation skills when the world around her was not illuminated, he could not help but think.

They continued to coast their way through the cave for quite some time without saying a word, both of them focusing on their uneven steps. There were indeed a handful of moments in which he was forced to pause and balance himself on the slanted pathway while assisting her over an irregular rise or fall in the ground. In some cases, he required both of her hands to help her along. A restless notion of tossing her over his shoulder like some sort of barbarian ran through his mind – the idea brightened, despite the lack of light surrounding him – however, his instincts once again caught wind of something that stalled their exploration.

"Hey…do you hear that?" Zoro whispered when they were nearly face to face, his awareness of her closeness discovered when it felt as if their chests had brushed against one another, implying that they had nearly shared the same breath.

"Hm?" Nami hummed in surprise. He imagined her blinking up at him while trying to locate the noise that had stopped him in his tracks. It did not shock him in the slightest when she suddenly uttered her realization, "It sounds like…water. Like the ocean."

Zoro nodded, though she could not know that he did. The soothing tempo of the sea had calmed him while he had been standing on the edge of that cliff, it had faded when he had wandered deeper into the woods, and he had anticipated the sound to become mute once they chose to plunge into the strange opening in the earth. Nevertheless, there was that unmistakable intonation accompanying them inside of the mysterious cave, irrefutably familiar to those who lived their lives on the open waters.

"Where there is water," Nami theorized aloud, whether for both of their sake, or simply her own, "there will also be light."

Again, he responded to her with a nod, then proceeded to follow the sound that had caught their attention. The more he thought about it, the less he understood, however; how was it that he could hear the water, but he could not see any form of light? Why would the natives keep a place so esoteric unguarded, and not have a light source stationed along such a temperamental pathway? The entrance had been easy enough for two tourists to discover – were they walking headfirst into a trap? If so, the first mate was forced to begrudgingly admit to himself that he was at least somewhat satisfied to have been brought along, if only for Nami's sake.

Her defenceless, weaponless sake.

"Stop!" Her voice startled him, especially when it bounced off of a stone wall that had been directly in front of his face. Distracted, he had failed to notice that he nearly walked right into the edge of the cave before its path diverted into an odd direction. Zoro could not fathom how she could have known it was there, given the way that the sound of free-flowing water only grew louder and louder, filling the space with its noisy beckoning and goading them to discover its location.

He ignored his mingling sense of relief and embarrassment and turned his body to the right—

"No, not that way." Nami promised him from behind.

Unamused, he turned himself to face the exact opposite direction and when he did not receive further criticism, Zoro resumed their trek once again. An unfamiliar voice bobbed over their heads, sounding farther back in the cave while maintaining its volume; his honed sense of awareness informed him that whomever it was that was approaching, they had not properly entered the cave as of yet. There was no other option but to hope to find a place to hide should the people following after them chose to venture into the lightless tunnel.

Zoro's distaste for the murky cave was immediately met with a glimmer of hope then, when he spied the edge of yet another turn in the cave's pathway, thanks to an almost unnatural blue glow teasing them around the next corner. It was unexpectedly faint in comparison to the waves' rising volume, but that failed to stop him from rushing towards the potential escape. Did it not surprise him then, when he turned to discover the sight of their path descending into the crystal blue waters, with no other end in sight.

"Nami…we're stuck." He did not approach, he did not observe; Zoro could barely believe that they had traveled all this way, only to become cornered by the sea. There was a few openings under rocky arches throughout the strange space, yet it mattered not to him while the swordsman did his best not to throttle the woman who brought him down to such a precarious place.

When she managed to step around him after he failed to assist her into entering the space, Nami's gasp was followed up by a delighted squeal as she decreed, "It's a grotto!" When he failed to immediately share her joy, she assumed that he did not understand her enthusiasm and chose to explain it to him. "This must connect us to…the east side of the island, where the Sunny is located. I bet if we swam out to that opening there" – she pointed, and with the light that traveled along the water, he managed to make out her form in the dull, natural glow of the grotto – "we'd be able to see it."

"We may have to try it out, if someone followed us down here." Zoro remarked as he turned his head in order to listen for any possible sounds being carried down the tunnel they had just exited. Why, he even closed his eye so that his focus could not be diverted—

"Zoro, look!" Nami's voice shattered his concentration without remorse. Turning his head to glare at her, the swordsman found the navigator observing strange markings on the walls, most of the etchings blocked from his point of view due to her presence. Forced now due to imposed inquisitiveness, he stomped over to her side while listening to her read the engraved words aloud. "'Beware the Witch. Listen to the voices of the dead from the seas. Pay the price if you enter the waves. The witch cares not for your pleas.'"

Zoro felt the chill that ran along her body, due to how close they stood. The letters appeared to have been scraped into the stone wall with a smaller rock, the lines appearing frantic, given how many there were. Unfortunately for the person who dared to warn them of the evil that possessed the grotto, the man who had recently attained Observation Haki sensed no such ill will inside of the cave; the ability activated whenever malicious or life-threatening conditions were present, and he could not locate any sort of hostility in their immediate space.

In fact, there was _nothing else_ in their vicinity, not even the Cat Burglar's most likely anticipated treasure.

"Well?" He asked her, expecting her to admit that they were foolish for entering such a place when it failed to bring them any real reward.

Instead, Nami surprised him by reaching for the hem of her sundress and began to drag the fabric over her head.  
"O-Oi!" shouted Zoro with a fair amount of surprise in his voice.

"Shhh! We don't know if those people are still following us!" Reprimanded the woman who was stripping before him, making any possible escape quite challenging if there were other people in the tunnel due to her unclothed state.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He decided to be blunt in addressing his issue with her spontaneous desire to strip!

Her dress flew into his face and her snatched it up quickly in his tense hands. Standing before him now was a sight he was quite familiar with – Nami in a bikini. The colours surprisingly coordinated with the flower petals he had watched braid themselves into her hair earlier, yet that small factoid meant nothing to him while he awaited her answer. Apparently, he was receiving it in the form of an action instead of words: she strolled towards the water's edge and began to enter the sea. As if it was her natural territory – like the witch he sometimes referred to her as – the navigator slowly waded her way out into the grotto's depth.

Nevertheless, actions did not speak louder than words in a moment such as this, especially when he could have sworn he heard the sound of a rock being knocked down the tunnel they had just escaped, "Nami!"

"I-I'm going to see if I'm right about the Sunny; we need to have another way out in case we can't go back the way we came!" The cool bite of the water caused her to stutter, and for reasons he could not understand then and there, he was glad to see her thrown off of her high horse if only in her ability to control her speech. _She_ had brought them down here, _she_ was putting them at risk of the irate locals who might happen to find them in their haunted grotto!

Nami and her ridiculous directions.

Zoro knew there were people approaching – the crawling awareness along his skin was running rampant in trying to get his attention. Surely, his Haki was not active at the moment due to the unsuspecting civilians who had no intention of finding two travelers in such an oddly sacred place. They would more than likely become hostile once they discovered the two of them, though. Not wanting to face such a dangerous encounter, his swords were in his hands the moment he realized that the only way to escape such a possible calamity was to once again allow Nami to lead the way. Holding his scabbards to the top of his head, the other quickly tied his battle ready bandana under his chin after securing his precious blades in place. They would need to rest vertical instead of horizontally if he expected to clear the opening the navigator had pointed out, which hazardously infringed on his sight.

The next time she tried to coerce him into something so ridiculous, he would need to remember how silly he felt in this very moment.

As he stepped into the glistening water, Nami finally took the plunge and dove beneath the waves, swimming out to the opening in the cavern wall in order to determine just how far they would need to swim. By the time his haramaki was mostly sopping wet, her orange hair reappeared above the water, curtaining an exhilarated expression. "It's actually not that far from here! We should be able to swim to the Sunny in a few minutes."

"Good, let's go!" Barely paying attention to the volume of voice by this point, Zoro rushed Nami back into the water. She nodded, inhaled a hefty breath, then dove back into the sea. It would be quite challenging for him to escape the grotto while minding his swords, but it was his nearly literal cross to bear. He waited until his shoulders were almost covered before taking his feet off of the ground beneath him and swimming out after her. The exit took no time at all to reach, and there was an immediate awareness that – just like the path that had brought them down here – there was a sudden dip in the elevation of the earth beneath them, abandoning them both to the will of the ocean.

Zoro could not look back, and he did not want to, especially when he thought he heard a hushed conversation at his back that carried over the sound of the water that rushed passed his ears. All that that mattered to him then and there was catching up to Nami and swimming towards the Sunny. If they could sneak onto the ship and pretend create an excuse for their sudden re-emergence on the island, then—

Nami emerged from the ocean directly before him, forcing Zoro to recoil with the muscles in his gut as he prepared to tread water ever so suddenly. "W-What the hell!?" He hollered while fighting with the seawater that spilled into his open mouth.

"That's what I want to know!" Nami screamed right back at him. "How can you get lost when the Sunny is right there!?" For dramatic – or descriptive – effect, she threw a pointed finger in the direction of their home as it bobbed at the port of Proserpina. The expression on the figurehead was typically bleak, and yet, it looked oddly stressed as though it was trying to avoid overhearing the scolding he was receiving.

Infuriated to no end, the thoughts that plagued him before she roped him into her dissatisfactory plans reared their ugly head once more and collected that envious burden of his in order to infuse all of his negativity into one unbridled response, "Then don't swim underwater while leading the way out! _You_ brought me down there! The least you could is take me back to the Sunny!"

"But it's _right_ there!" She tossed her head between his glower and the passive face of the Sunny, emphasizing her point.

"So what!?" Poor in articulation, Zoro let his antagonism rule his mind while he stared her down. Ignoring his soaking wet clothing and the precarious position his swords sat in atop of his head, he managed to gather enough enmity to fight Nami then and there without any other motivations.

And in the very instance in which he chose to wage war with her in the middle of the ocean, Nami's brown eyes softened in an unexpected fashion.

She did not appear submissive, she did not appear sad or frightened; the look in those chocolate-colored eyes of hers appeared to be…sympathetic? Her pity was not wanted nor was it needed, and he was prepared to leave her staring after him as he swam in some godforsaken direction if it meant escaping her dejecting glance. He could train himself to stare at the Sunny until his face was plastered against the rim of the Soldier Dock System door! Perhaps his deficiency in directional capabilities was due to his lack of concentration on his destination! If only he could—

"All right," Nami said gently, pulling him away from his inner craze. Without warning did she reach below the water and snatch up his hand. It was the reverse of the situation that had brought them into the cave – where he had escorted her to the destination she desired – and the comparison was not lost on him. "I won't let you die at sea."

"I wasn't going to die out here!" Zoro barked back at her, his grip on her tightening in an attempt to show strength.

Nami merely laughed at his reaction to her words, and only after she began to speak did he recall the carving on the walls of the cave. "You call me a witch, right?" – when he didn't admit or deny her claim, she merely began to kick her legs and swim towards their shared home – "Well, I heard your plea! You're always adding more beris onto that debt you owe me, so I can just put this on your never-ending tab. Let's go!"

A huff released as a final reply to her playful take on the unsettling mythos of the cave was immediately drowned by the sound of the rising tempo in the waves. She was a witch, Zoro thought sourly, and went so far as to theorize that perhaps this strange cult inhabiting the island had foreseen Nami's arrival and wrote that message on the wall as a reminder of her innate cruelty. Lording her directional sense over him the way she was…

Only in the privacy of his own mind would he admit that he _might_ have needed her assistance, if he could not even swim in one direction long enough to avoid missing the ship. As he watched her orange strands of hair sway along with and against the current of the sea, the swordsman found tranquility in the swirling motion amidst the envy that had possessed him in a blinding sort of rage. It was frustrating – in the privacy of his mind, in the solitude of his heart – to be in the presence who exceled so exponentially at something that he could never overcome.

And yet…

There was no unforgivable misdemeanour to be found in the way she brought him home.

Nami never failed to read the weather, chart their every destination, partake in a realm of study that was so far beyond his comprehension that the swordsman could secretly confess to never giving her proper credit for her work. She always relied on him whenever she needed someone strong, and there were times where his lack of navigational skill had nearly let her down, such as during Doflamingo's assault on the Sunny, where he was forced to allow Sanji to go in his place…

But Nami held no ill will towards him. She showcased no jealousy of his craft and in fact depended on him and his honed strength without question whenever it suited her fancy. The excursion they had just endured with a supreme example of her faith in him, even though he did nothing more than lead her down a path that required her guidance at times…

Maybe she was indeed a witch, enchanting him with her signature ways in order to compel him to do things he knew he should not. Saying she had bewitched him into following her, holding her hand, becoming the victim of her greed would be so much easier to accept…

Rather than acknowledging the fact that perhaps he just merely did not want to admit that their clashing abilities might mean that he would need Nami for a long time to come.

They were two ends of the same spectrum – one with a nearly godlike directional sense, and the other who might as well have eaten the Lost Lost Fruit – and they had found one another. There were undisclosed moments in time when he wished he could be as talented with a compass, an internal directional sense as if it were a form of Haki he could attain. If the Straw Hats' navigator was at his side, though, he could stroll through life without worrying about ever losing his way, couldn't he? Accepting that was a challenge in and of itself; relying on another individual specifically, for something he surely lacked, would mean requiring someone in a lessened severity comparable to his swords.

And that person could be Nami?

Arriving at the Sunny meant that she had to turn to face him, all while holding his hand as casually as if they were overtly familiar with one another's touch. "Think you can climb the anchor's rope and then throw me down the ladder?" She asked through strained breaths, the swim to the ship taking a lot out of her. Her physical limitations were on display for him in that moment, and she did not seem at all bashful or displeased. There was a unique charm to the stubborn, prideful, dependant, secretive, caring relationship between them, Zoro realized then, the astonishment reflecting in his eyes.

Or rather, another thought had dawned on him that momentarily stole away some of the charm of the acceptance of his emotions.

Immediately, Nami noticed and questioned his sudden shift in expression, "What?"

Without any feeling whatsoever, Zoro reminded her, "You left your dress in the grotto."

There was a long silence filled only by the familiar lull of the sea.

"…So, we'll be departing soon?"

Nodding mindlessly, Zoro agreed, "Yeah, I'd say so."

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 **Author's Notes:**

I figured the theme of 'Jealousy' would be too easy to write as a ZoNaSan love triangle or something to that effect, so I wanted to take a different approach…and I ran away with the idea quite easily! In my mind, someone as out of touch with intimate feelings as Zoro might translate certain emotional responses incorrectly when he begins to fall in love, you know? Like how little boys are stereotyped as being mean to the girls they like – this is Zoro's version of trying to avoid loving Nami and it forces him to become somewhat out of sorts because he is fighting his feelings too hard; he is forcing himself to be dishonest by trying to deny his admiration of one of her greatest traits. In the end, it only helps him to release that she is indeed the woman he needs! Very adult concept for Day 1, isn't it? Also, there was a clear connection to Hades and Persephone of Greek mythology, along with the setting design based off of Capri's Grotta Azzurra in Italy. Well, I hope you enjoyed the long read, and I hope to see you tomorrow!

 _PLEASE NOTE: To see all of the collected posts for ZoNami Week 2016, please visit _ zonamiweek2016 _on tumblr and click on the_ ZORO X NAMI WEEK 2016 _tab on the front page!_


	2. A Billion Rules for Dating My Nakama

**A Billion Rules for Dating My Nakama**

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 02:** Alcohol / Tangerines (Oranges/Mikans)

 **Rating:** K+ (first-time romance)

 **Summary:** What's a man to do when wooing a girl is not his strong suit? Not asking his friends for advice would a step in the right direction. Or maybe…

 **Word Count:** 1,911 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** I heard "Sexy Love" by Ne-Yo in the car before coming home to write this story, and I think the sweet tone of the song suits the genuine intentions Zoro has in this story. Feel free to play the song as you read along~

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" _You have to take her to a fancy restaurant – Nami-san deserves to be spoiled, and you're going to give her everything her heart desires! Do you hear me, marimo_!?"

" _Don't forget to pull out her chair when you get there! Robin hates that, but other girls really dig it._ "

" _Hey Zoro, you're not going to go out on your first date, um…dressed like that, right?_ "

" _Remember Zoro-san, table manners are very important when wooing a lady; please refrain from belching or getting drunk or falling asleep at the table._ "

" _Don't pull a Luffy and pig out in front of her, okay? I know she's seen you eat, but do you really want you to compare her to_ that guy _on your very first date_?"

" _Make sure you bring me back something yummy! Oh, and don't ask Nami to pay for dinner or she'll probably make you eat your weights._ "

Sighing, it was all the swordsman could do not to appear dismayed as he sat across from the navigator on what was supposed to be the most romantic evening of their lives. He was never one for formal wear and yet here he was, seated at a fancy restaurant rated by stars for reasons he could not comprehend, dressed in a much more handsome version of the clothing the shit cook tried to pull off daily, unsure of what to say to the woman who had agreed to join him for a meal he would not have been able to afford if his so-called friends hadn't pooled their spending money and created even more debt for him to bear.

The term 'so-called' suited them well, after the inexperienced dating advice they had ingrained into his brain, overwhelming his natural confidence with rules and courtesies he was expected to remember when he was 'courting' a lady.

A very important lady named Nami.

From his peripheral vision, he could see her overtop of his overtly tall menu. It was obvious that she was just as uncomfortable as he was, yet there was a distinct awareness that her uneasiness was a direct result of the unsteady aura he was producing. Never before had she looked so beautiful, and perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he knew that her all of the effort put into her appearance tonight was meant for him; her hair was braided into a crown around her head, a few strands left loose in order to frame her face; her jewelry was pearl-themed, like the decorations she had worn when he had seen her again after so long on Zou Island; the black dress that hugged her body still managed to appear sleek, conservative by her usual standards, without hiding the natural beauty that was her body; her shoes looked as if they complimented her chosen attire all while giving the distinct impression that she could impale anyone who dare do her wrong with those pointed heels.

He felt as though he looked entirely awkward and admittedly undeserving, in comparison.

His fellow male crew mates did their best to give him tips on how to keep their date above water, along with indications of warning signs for when their needed to be salvaged. They had done all they could to prepare him for this new and entirely foreign experience, building him up for something he had initiated between himself and his longest comrade, aside from their captain of course. And yet, all he could do was sit there with a serious expression masking his internal panic and avoid speaking to her as though he hadn't already decided on ordering the steak.

" _If all else fails, ladies do love to be serenaded! Perhaps you ask if the restaurant has a band that will play her a song? Or, you could even sing one yourself!_ "

" _When I used to visit Kaya, she laughed the most when I told her stories about me looking like an idiot, so…you'll have plenty of ways to make her smile_."

" _Remember: even if you don't like sweets, don't rush girlie and let her get something for dessert._ "

" _How you treat the waiter will determine the tone of your date – don't be an ass, even if your food is taking a while. It takes time to cook something to perfection, all right!?_ "

" _If Nami starts choking, you can save her by standing behind her, then using both hands to push up into her stomach in a J-shape until she spits out her food, okay?_ "

" _If it's one of those restaurants with small portions, then don't bring me back anything._ "

Aside from Luffy's strange order, every single rule that played in his head only caused tension in his muscles. Spine straight, stomach in a whirl, Roronoa Zoro could not remember ever feeling so out of sorts than he did at this tablecloth-covered, candelabra-bearing table. He felt as if he was sweating and usually he found that comforting – it meant he was working hard towards a goal – but all it currently did was make him worry about his body odor!

Why couldn't they just go to a pub and get drunk, like he had originally intended to do!?

On Nami's side of the table, it was impossible not to notice that she had been staring at the same page in her menu since the moment it had been handed to her; either she was extremely excited about her chosen dinner, or she was simply trying to busy herself and pretend that this date was not already falling apart.

When was it appropriate for a man to spontaneously start praying to a God for salvation?

"Good evening," chipper, oblivious, their waiter strolled over to their table looking as though it was his life's dream to service people. His name plate read the name Edge, which seemed appropriate, since Zoro believed that this date was looking as though it was about to plummet off of one. "My name is Edge and I will be waiting on you two this lovely summer evening. Have you been here before?"

"No." Was his Neanderthal-like reply.

Edge was kind enough to carry on without seeming put-out by his abrupt nature and nodded with a grin. Nami chimed in then to add on, "We just docked a few hours ago."

"Oh, travelers are you? And you chose our restaurant for your evening? Must be fate." Gleefully did chuckle at his own witticism, inspiring a courteous giggle from Nami's lips.

However, anxiety plagued the poor conversationalist, Roronoa Zoro, silencing him more so than his lack of interest in playing along with social cues. Another round of falsely wise words echoed inside of his mind, this time, cohesive and complimentary to one another as it was a very loud conversation that he was reminded of.

" _Ladies see it as a romantic when you order for them at restaurants, so make sure you know what she wants before the waiter comes to your table._ "

" _What!? Why would she want him to choose her dinner for her? Huh? She can pick her own meal._ "

" _Or maybe she can tell you what she wants to eat before the waiter arrives, and then you can place both of the orders?_ "

" _Brook, no. Franky's right: since when has Nami been afraid of talking to someone?_ "

" _But Sanji chooses all of our meals and no one complains._ "

" _That's true, but Nami isn't dating Sanji_."

Zoro blocked out the sound of unmanly crying within his memories as he was faced with a decision to make: should he order for her, or should he leave the entire thing be? He had been so focused on _not_ ruining their date that he forgot how to participate in it! Now, everything was backfiring and it felt like he was watching an explosion in slow motion.

All he could do now was react to everything that happened in the moment, relying on his instinct, as he usually did in dangerous situations.

"Can I get you anything to drink, maybe an appetizer?" Edge politely wondered as he clasped his hands behind his back, prepared to take a mental note of their orders.

Cutting in at once, Zoro decreed, "I'll have a beer, the Sabaody Brew."

"My personal favourite." Edge piped up in order to supply them with his opinion.

Again, rushing forth, the determined first mate summoned forth every ounce of authority he held in order to ask, "Do you have any drinks that are made with tangerines?"

That question stalled their waiter, who was preparing to turn himself and face Nami just before he was made to recall a vague menu item. "Ah…a drink? Why yes, we have a vodka-based beverage."

"Perfect."

"One screwdriver?"

"Yes, that's what she'll have." It felt as if he had just landed a decisive blow in a battle – that's how amazing he felt.

Edge nodded his understanding, delivered a timely, "I'll go fetch those for you right away." Then, he took off for the bar. It was as if he was a demon that needed to be exorcised, and Zoro had warded him off for the time being with a need for alcohol. There was a definite feeling of an immaterial weight being lifted from his shoulders after handling the first of at least three orders he would have to place tonight, but nothing could steal away the small victory he had obtained.

Not even Nami's odd, devilish grin.  
"What?" Was all he could think to say in response to her positive yet suspicious expression.

Without any sort of hesitation, she outright inquired, "You just ordered me a _screwdriver_?"

Assuming he imagined the emphasis at the end of her words, the swordsman bobbed his head in response, hoping that he hadn't committed some sort of folly in doing so. Thankfully, his date stretched her arms out toward him on either side of the table, appearing quite comfortable now, "Nothing, just a …lucky guess. Safe one, thinking I wanted a drink made with tangerines."

"There's vodka, too." Unintentionally, he had made a quip. His mood had clearly brightened, and the pulling desire to reach out for hands – to have some part of her to hold onto while they endure the bewildering experience that was their first date – was almost overwhelming. He refrained himself though, due to his inexperience with such intimacy.

A second laugh came from those rose-coloured lips, only this time, it wasn't a polite sound; her amusement was genuinely a result of his words. The look she gave him then, the warmth in her big brown eyes soothed him in a way he never knew that Nami could before, considering the terror she usually wreaked on the Thousand Sunny. Although, what did that say about him, given that he still fell for her regardless of her violent and scary tendencies? He wasn't so sure, but while sitting in silent admiration of the woman seated before him, Zoro remembered his captain's final words to him and found it to be the most helpful tidbit he had received above all else:

" _You and Nami? You guys always have a great time together, so just have some fun! It'll be funny to see which one of you knocks the other one out first!_ "

She did. He'd never admit it to anyone with words, but it was as if she had won him over all over again.

Yeah, no matter the number of rules, Zoro knew he made the right choice by asking her out tonight.

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 **Author's Notes:**

I'm really into writing fluff lately – as you will see in the theme ficlets to come! – but this one felt so perfect for today~ Short, sweet (literally) and a little silly, I thought a ZoNa first date was a nice little breather after yesterday's story. And who doesn't love a romantically nervous Zoro!? I hope you did, and I hope to see you again tomorrow!


	3. Like You Needed Me

_**Like You Needed Me**_

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 06:** Tiger & Cat / Orange & Green

 **Rating:** K+ (fluff-a-palooza)

 **Summary:** The day Zoro and Nami unexpectedly became the parents of a furry baby.

 **Word Count:** 3,796 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** There are some Japanese culture notes pointed out throughout the story! Please read the explanations at the bottom in order to fully understand their significance. Also, I listened to "The One" by the Backstreet Boys on repeat when I wrote this…yes, Zoro has boyband potential. (Hm, maybe that should be a theme next time?)

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"Zoro, look." Nami made sure her voice was soft when she beckoned to the man at her side. They were close enough under the shop awning for him to hear her, regardless of the rain pouring down upon the town that they had been shopping in. Ignoring the simple conversation they had been entertaining for the past few minutes or so, the navigator tried to guide the swordsman's attention towards the furry creature across the street who had caught her eye.

Cautiously sneaking beneath the overgrown brush of bushes that ran between two different delicatessens was an orange-and-black cat, clearly put out by the stormy weather.

Oblivious as ever, Zoro wasn't sure what she saw through the smaller crowd of people who still wandered the streets, the townsfolks having brought umbrellas and hooded jackets with them in preparation for the spring weather. All they had done was taken cover just before the raindrops hit the ground. "What?" was the effortless reply he gave her.

Rolling her eyes, Nami grabbed his wrist rather unceremoniously and tossed his entire arm in the direction of the uneasy cat as it tried to hide from the momentum of the rain. "There! That poor cat looks so upset to be outside."

Before Zoro could give a proper reply to her observation, the distressed feline suddenly turned its head to look at the couple of pirates observing it from across the way, and it was then they discovered a particularly familiar feature that it shared with the green-haired first mate.

The tiger-like cat's left eye was scratched out by a single scar, just like Zoro's.

"We _have_ to help it now." Nami stated, sounding exasperated due to the apparent need to explain that to her nakama.

Zoro appeared lazily stunned by her decision. "No, we don't. It lives on this island, Nami; it's probably running home to its owner."  
"Or it could be a stray." By the end of her words, the poor woman sounded so very disappointed by the assumption she had made.

"Even if it is, that's not our problem—" A solid _thwack_ was delivered to his thick skull.

Unfazed, Zoro simply sighed and took his beating graciously in order to avoid a larger confrontation. "It doesn't have to be a problem for us to help out!" Pointed out an irritated Nami.  
" _Meow_!"

The abusive pair turned to look over at the obvious source of the noise, and were more than surprised to find that the cat had somehow understood that they were discussing its wellbeing and began to make its way over to them. Now, they were equally surprised as they watched it trot over to them with a great deal of energy in its supposed downtrodden state. Together they greeted the sodden kitten by bending down to address it at a much more comfortable level. Their responsiveness only encouraged the cat to race towards them – darting between the stragglers still on the road – and acknowledge their kindness with a nuzzle to each of their knees.  
"Hello there," Nami snickered once her light shock had dissipated, so very impressed by the enthusiasm it directed towards them. "You were very excited to come over here, weren't you?" She kindly offered her hand to the cat so that it could judge her worthiness in petting it, and thankfully, it gave her a few sniffs before nudging her palm onto its head.

"I'll say." Zoro nodded in agreement. His wrists resting loosely over his knees, his hands were hanging at just the right height for the cat to make the decision as to whether or not it would allow him the same privilege.

However, it clearly expected Nami to dry it off with her pants, her touch. "Mm, you hate all this water, don't you? Just like him." For a lone, purposeful second, she tossed her hand towards her friend in order to signify that he was indeed the only 'him' she was referring to.

 _He_ glared at her in response.

"So what do we do with it now? Find its owner, or—"

"We should get our new friend something to eat," Decided the navigator, looking up from her new furry friend in order to choose which restaurant across the way would earn her business. "Probably something fishy."

"That makes sense…Here." Holding out an open palm, Zoro looked to Nami and made it well known that he expected her to take him up on his wordless offer.  
After a few curious blinks, she finally decided to ask him, "What?"

Frowning, the first mate replied, "I'll go get it." At first, Nami did not understand his sudden desire to shop – considering the substantial pile of shopping bags that sat on either side of them, all carried around by him and his ungodly strength – and yet he was willing to order lunch for the cuddly kitty. Regardless of his reason though, sending him on the errand meant handing him her beris…

"It's okay, I can go—"

"Just let me do it!" Zoro shouted, returning the favour from earlier when she yelled at him over something that did not require such a dramatic response. His seriousness was diminished greatly by the cat who decided to sniff his hand by standing on its back legs and clamping its front paws around his thigh.

Nami did her best not to smile, for fear that he might ruin the image that she knew she would never bear witness to ever again. "It's fine, Zoro. Just don't move or our new friend might leave—"

"Give me one thousand beris ***** and I'll be right back." He tried desperately to affirm his command while the cat licked the tips of his fingers, but the swordsman shot her his most ineffective stare as he endured the affectionate gesture.

She would need to mark this location on her map of the island, so that she would never forget such a precious moment.

Nami admitted defeat graciously and tugged her stash of cash out from her cleavage; the tube top that led into decorative strands of fringe was both fashionable and practical. She slipped him the necessary amount of money then motioned towards the shop she surmised would best suit their needs with a tilt of her head, "That one should have raw tuna, given that it's a sushi restaurant. Order as much as you can for that many beris."

"All right." Zoro confirmed that he understood the instructions before slowly beginning to rise. The cat at his feet cried at him for disturbing its attempt to secure his attention; he looked quite flummoxed by the complaint, considering he was only leaving to get the little one something to eat.

"Here, Torako, come here." Beckoning the cat with the softness of her voice, the navigator was hoping to direct its attention towards her."  
"Torako"? Repeated her rightfully perplexed nakama.

Nami answered, "The print in the fur – it's like a tiger, right? And since it's kinda small, it's probably just a baby. So, I am calling it Torako ******."

In the strangest moments, Zoro showcased his proficiency in dealing with the hotheaded woman; he made a face that implied his dislike for the name, yet he smartly chose not to say a word. Instead, he grunted at her explanation before taking off towards the sushi restaurant that she had pointed out to him.

Nami watched as the rain fell upon him like a sheet of raindrops the instant he exited the protection of the awning they stood under, more than likely soaking him through his robe. It wasn't as if the swordsman was a cruel or apathetic man; he could show his care for others in the strangest ways, most likely because he refrained from speaking them aloud and chose to gesture them instead. She was quite impressed that he was not only willing to purchase something by going into yet another store – after the long day he had had of being her pack mule – but that his insistence on being the one to do it meant that he was protecting her from the rain.

Her fringed tube top and strapped heels would survive the weather, thanks to his random act of kindness.

A whining noise emanating next to her sandals drew her attention away from the departing swordsman, and she gave herself completely to the hyper kitten asking for her attention. Nami moved to sit down next to Torako and tucked her legs off to the side. It allowed for the little one to try its chances at climbing into her lap, until the sharpness of its claws startled the unsuspecting navigator as they dug through her black jeans.

"Ah, hey! You're hurting me, you know." Scolding the little one, she snuck her hands beneath its arms and lifted it so that they were face to face. It was obvious that Torako did not like being raised so high off of the ground, which would only compel the nervous cat to keep its claws extended. It was with great care that Nami placed the riled fur ball onto her thigh and immediately tried to calm it down. Once she reintroduced the concept of stroking down its furry back, she soothed the little one quickly enough and felt it slowly calm down.

Until those busy paws – claws retracted, for the most part – found the fringe of her shirt and wished to play.

Nami caught Torako's one-eyed, green-tinted stare when the first swatting motion took place, and she did her best to frown through a laugh. "You're a lot happier now than you were a few moments ago, aren't you?" An instant, innocent-sounding meow was her almost instantaneous answer and she was nearly overcome with the urge to pick up her furry friend and carry it back to the Sunny, where she could keep it safe and well fed forever.

After all, did it not make sense for the woman known as the Cat Burglar to have a pet cat of her own?

Mumbling to herself, she watched Torako fiddle with her shirt while wondering aloud, "Where is your owner? Or, where is your mother? One of them has to be on this island somewhere… They'd want to know about that eye of yours…. I know I was surprised the first time I saw it—"

"They didn't have tuna," that deep voice of his sent shivers along her bare skin the moment she heard it, making her feel bashful as she was forced from her thoughts, "so I got cod instead."

"Ah, that's fine." Nami confirmed as she looked up at the swordsman upon his return. He was drenched from head to toe; Zoro would either run straight for a warm bath as soon as they got home to the Sunny, or he would genuinely believe that a rain shower was enough to substitute actual bathing and avoid the mere thought of cleanliness for a week. She'd have to avoid the Crow's Nest until next week, according to that strange bathing schedule of his—

"Um…"

"What?" Zoro asked in response to her obvious sound of confusion. Perhaps he had a suitable reason as to why there was a wadded up ball of green cloth on top of his carryout box. If anything, it looked like a heavily mistreated teru teru bozu ******* doll, yet that did not explain the peculiar color nor his possession of it.

All Torako cared about was the fishy smell coming from the container in Zoro's hands.

Unable to simply ignore it, Nami slowly asked, "Why do you have…some weird cloth with you? Were they out of napkins?"

"No, the restaurant owners blames the bad weather on this thing. The owner's kids were screwing around in the kitchen and they ended up dying this teru teru bozu…green."  
"And evil, apparently," Nami theorized their real intention for disposing of the superstitious craft. "That will just wash out with some warm water, too; they could have simmered it in a regular pot of water – maybe it would have stopped the rain."

"Hey, you bought scissors at that craft store, right?" Zoro blatantly talked over her creative tips for curing the doll of its malady, and with the strangest question too. They had indeed stopped in at a stationary store to stock up on her ink, pens, rulers, and she had purchased a new pair of scissors at the request of Usopp. What the swordsman could need them for, she had not a clue.

"Uh, yeah. I did. Which bag has my new raincoat, by the way?"

"The second bag on my side, the black one with the silver words on it." Answered the first mate as he headed directly towards the paper bag that held the scissors he was looking for. Torako cried quite loudly while waiting for the scrumptious-smelling feast that Zoro carried, and those claw-bearing paws tried to scale her thighs in an attempt to persuade him to share the cod immediately. Nami hissed softly but did not respond until she had located her coat and retrieved a men's sized t-shirt too.

"Try this on. I don't have anything you dry you off with, but you should at least change into some dry clothes." She instructed, trying to put on her white-and-emerald raincoat while handing him the simple orange-red tee.

With a shrug of his shoulder did he try to rebuff her kindness, locating the scissors at that very moment. "There's no point in changing." Was his uncaring response as he dropped down into a crossed-legged seat and held up the teru teru bozu against the cutting blades in his hands. Nami carried not for his arts and crafts as she frowned at his decision. She decided to hold onto the t-shirt for a moment when he wasn't cutting something up for some odd reason or another. Putting it down next to her, Nami returned her attention to Torako and the desperate need it had to eat.

Reaching into Zoro's lap, she snatched up the takeout container and teasingly revealed the cod at a slow pace to the kitten. Torako nearly pounced on her hand, if it wouldn't have delayed her revelation of the yummy treat inside. Snickering, Nami decided to feed it one piece at a time and slipped a small slice of sashimi off of the rice bed beneath it. "Here you go," she sang, offering the thinly sliced cod to the hyperactivity cat in her lap, "I hope you like this kind."

"The owner said that tuna is actually bad for cats." Zoro piped up at her side.

Nami glanced over at him between Torako's tiny bites. "You asked the owner about what to feed a cat?" The thought was amusing, to say the least.

"All I said was that I was buying it for a cat I had outside and she told me that tuna can be too fatty for animals, so she gave me this instead." His explanation sounded believable, but some part of Nami's heart secretly hoped that he had taken the initiative to ask about the safety of Torako's diet instead.

"But Torako is a tiger cub." She teased openly, wearing her signature Cheshire grin.

Zoro gave her a pointed look that warned her to knock it off immediately.

Feeling merciful on such a rainy day, Nami let her desire to bother the grumpy swordsman wash away while offering the aforementioned feline another piece of cod. The small cat in her lap was quite brave to take such big bites, and it forced her to draw the fish away from that tiny chomping mouth to prevent Torako from choking. For some reason, she found it so bewitching to watch the kitten eat its meal – it seemed to warm her more than her raincoat did.

Softer than she expected her voice to sound, the enchanted redhead leaned in and cooed, "I guess you like it. You owe Zoro a big thank you for getting you the right kind of fish then, don't you? Do you think the two of us can share the rice you're not going to eat then?" Knowing she did not need to await for an actual reply, Nami – noticing there weren't any chopsticks with the takeout box – picked up the first ball of rice between her fingers and fed herself.

"I don't need anything," As soon as the swordsman decreed his lack of a need for something to eat, Nami gathered up another clump of rice and held it directly in front of his face. The shock caused his head to recoil and a growl to rumble in his throat, "Nami!"

"C'mon, open up. Ahhh!" She supplied him with a visual aid to show him how to accept her generosity. The sight before her was a strange one: Roronoa Zoro, soaked to the bone by the rain, taking scissors to a green-dyed superstitious doll, refusing to eat. Did he think she had poisoned the food in the time it took to feed herself then him!? Refusing to back down, she stubbornly made it her goal to refuse to move the rice-bearing hand in front of his face while continuing to offer slices of cod to Torako with the other. They must have looked so silly to anyone who was passing them by.

Like a ridiculous little family, Nami figured.

As if sensing her categorization of the wayward trio stuck under the shop awning during a spring shower, Zoro begrudgingly leaned in and ate her offered rice, the tips of her fingers nearly kissed by his lips as he devoured his snack. She was evidently pleased to see his proper display of obedience and intended to give him another bite, however, he held up something to divert her attention.

A mutilated, green-coloured teru teru bozu.

"I don't think cutting it up is going to stop the rain." Nami deadpanned.

Ignoring her umpteenth attempt to rile him, the talented swordsman pondered, "It looks like it'll fit, right?"

Curiously, she asked, "Fit? What is it?"

Zoro held up the green cloth that had been somewhat modified by the scissors in his hands, and realized what he had created the moment he disclosed, "A raincoat."

The belief that he checked with the sushi owner about a proper feline diet was now inconsequential in comparison to the fact that he had fashioned clothing for the unaware kitten. There was a large opening where the face would have been drawn on the doll if the weather had turned out to be better, and the length of the cloth had been trimmed so that Torako wouldn't trip as he moved about. Who knew how long it would last given the fact that they had no clue as to how old the hungry kitten was, but it would surely be helpful on such a rainy day like today.

"It needs holes for the ears." She mentioned in a gentle voice.

Zoro stopped himself from gawking, visibly surprised that he had forgotten such an obvious fact. "Ah, right." He agreed easily as he took to bunching up two spots on the top of what was quite clearly the hood and made room for two ears to peek through. When he had officially concluded his modifications, the first mate presented it to the navigator in the hopes that she could put it on the snacking cat.

"No, you can do it," Nami instructed him as she moved the boxed lunch away from the baffled feline. "Try this on, Torako. Then you can go back to your yummy fish."

Torako was not at all amused.

Zoro did not pay attention to the obvious disappointment in those big round eyes and moved in with the raincoat. Torako tried to sniff the material before it was forced over those orange-and-black ears. Four small paws stomped about on Nami's leg while everything was being adjusted, but once Zoro had pulled back his hands, the world stilled.

Torako may not have been amused, but Nami had nearly fallen in love with her furry friend.

"You can't keep it." Reading her mind, the swordsman sounded firm as he antagonized her with the truth. She had every intention to whirl around and bite his head off for ruining her moment of basking in her adoration of Torako…until she noticed the expression on his otherwise expressionless face: it seemed as though, instead of telling her, he was more so reminding himself that the cat was not theirs to own. He had never made something before, if she recalled, not even a single meal before they had recruited Sanji; if not for his own survival, Zoro was more of the type to destroy than to create, and yet he had tried his hand at designing a raincoat for Torako out of a very odd teru teru bozu doll…

Quickly, Nami looked up at the sky and measured the weather through her natural gift for doing so. It genuinely seemed as though the Cumulonimbus clouds overhead were not finished watering the island, meaning they would all be stranded together for a bit longer. The joy that her realization gave made the navigator feel giddy, silly, and almost cuddly as she carefully moved closer to Zoro's wet body. He didn't comment on her sudden proximity, most likely appreciating some form of warmth after the shower that nature had provided him with. She slipped herself into his side and forced his arm to prop itself around her form, completely intentional in her desire to keep the three of them – her suddenly makeshift family – warm.

"You should try feeding the cod to Torako," Nami suggested, looking up at the swordsman with a kinder smile than she had shown him before. While the kitten tried to stomp on the extra fabric of its raincoat, she raised the container up to Zoro and pushed back the lid. Nodding, he followed her previous example, peeled back the thin layer of fish from the sushi rice, and presented to Torako, the only difference being that he let it lay in his palm.

As the excitable kitten stood on the edge of Zoro's fingertips, Nami could not ignore the comforting warmth that ran over her. It was so strange to think that she was caring for the tiger cub-kitten, much less with the swordsman; the entire situation of hiding out from the rain had been oddly rewarding in a way she could never have anticipated. The cozy air about the three of them was inexplicable to her, and yet it was something that had been much more precious to her than any of the clothes she bought today.

Once again, sensing her inner workings, the happy cat peeked up at the two of them and replied to her private thoughts with a powerful, almost wild-like cry, " _Meow_!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 ***** An easy way to convert yen to US/Canadian money is to take the end decimal of the yen – so that would be 1000.00 – and move it up two places. So, simply put, you can casually convert 1000 yen into $10. That's how I did it when I traveled, and it helps to understand the prices of One Piece products too, since beris follow this same style of denominations and value.

 ****** 'Tora' is the Japanese word for tiger and 'ko' is added to female names to mean that they are the 'child' of whichever kanji they are attached to (i.e. 愛子 means Aiko, 'love' + 'child'). Not only that, but the term 'toranoko' literally means 'tiger cub' or 'treasure', since tigers are said to treasure their young ones. I figured Nami would enjoy that name, and I don't know how creative she is with naming things, so it seemed like a safe bet! You cannot tell if a cat is male or female unless you lift its tail and examine certain aspects so that is why no gender is specified for Torako, even though the name is essentially feminine.

 ******* Teru teru bozu are those handmade dolls you see sometimes in anime, or on the Shonen Jump cover from June 10th, 2013, where the crew have one made in each of their images. The joke here is, they are supposed to bring about good weather, but since it's clearly raining, Zoro was given the doll for free…so he modified it and made it into a cute little raincoat for Torako! The green dye is blamed for the bad weather, since they are meant to be white.

Well! This was a really weird date, no? Papa Zoro is so caring for his furry baby! When I went to Hama Rikyuu Garden in Tokyo, a beautiful cat came up to me and my friend and led us to a water spout, knowing exactly where to take us so we could get it some water. Cats are quite intelligent, and so I imagine that Torako knew it could trust Zoro and Nami to help get it something yummy to eat~ Hope it was cutesy enough and not too long, and I hope to see you again tomorrow!


	4. All She Is

_**All She Is**_

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 04:** Scar / First Meeting After 3D2Y

 **Rating:** T (self-harm flashback from Arlong Park)

 **Summary:** In the early quiet of the morning, Zoro is left alone with his thoughts and the opportunity to observe Nami in all of her natural glory.

 **Word Count:** 2,615 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** I listened to a piano and cello cover of "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri while writing this, and it was absolutely enchanting. Please consider looking for it on YT to really follow along with Zoro's sentiments in the story. Thank you.

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The sun was always blinding when he awoke in the Crow's Nest, even when he was pressed against Nami's body, sprawled out on the floor. The sheets they had collected to create the illusion of a proper bed was in complete disarray, never mind her hair or the thoughts in his head as reality greeted him when he opened his eye. It wasn't enough that her sweet scent had permanently perfumed the air around him, nor was it enough that he held her around the waist and had her compressed to his body in the most comforting yet playfully territorial way; the bedding was a comfort that she required, when all he needed was her.

Accepting such a resounding truth had boggled him for so long now, but there was no denying it when he was allowed the peace of rising for the day with his lover still slumbering, unaware of his appreciation of her.

Feeling something for the navigator beyond mere friendship had been startling early on, and then suddenly, it wasn't. Roronoa Zoro was not an entirely, externally emotional man, so when he realized that Nami – the woman he had called a witch, who he had cursed to hell more times than he could likely count – had managed to possess his hearts much more realistically than she had ever owned his nonexistent wallet, there was sure to be a shock to his system. Some sort of moment where he would berate himself, or her, or feel himself grow awkward around her in the hopes that no one noticed, especially not her.

No such moment ever occurred.

Instead, it felt effortless to allow himself to love her – that was the most surprising part. Nothing needed to change, even while it felt as though everything was meant to. Having her in his arms, for example, was definitely a new phenomenon that was gifted to him due to the budding romance they had only just begun. Truthfully, the acceptance of their feelings only allowed them to grow physically closer than ever before, expressing their adoration and belated passion for one another as if it had been inevitable all along.

That was why he found it much more enjoyable to sleep with her by his side suddenly. There were indeed times where they were separated from one another, given that he needed to train and she need to add to her collection of personalized maps. His urge to have her rest with him at the end of the day was his greatest indicator of affection and her willingness to join him was one of the many ways she surpassed him in expressing her love for him. In the quiet of the early morn, Zoro usually took his chance to shower her with secret acts that showcased his true feelings for her both in thanks and in good faith.

He truly enjoyed tugging her thin frame against his large body and measuring the difference based off of the width of his torso that was left cold where her warm flesh could not cover it. His nose would bury itself into her tresses and the silken texture was always so much more comfortable than the pillow she had him use. However, his most intimate act was the lazy yet prominent kisses he would drape her skin with, from her ear to her shoulder. He always found it to be a challenge to keep his path straight – like a clean slice, almost – while adorning the column of her neck, and that somehow amplified his incentive. They weren't timed in any fashion; Zoro simply took pleasure in each display as he offered it to her unconscious form.

Today, though, he found something to distract him from his newly implemented ritual.

As his lips came to rest on Nami's left shoulder, he couldn't help but notice the signature tattoo that rested beneath his lips. His steely eye scanned the curvaceous design, studying it much more diligently than he ever had before. He recognized the tangerine-like shape at the very tip of her interpretative windmill as a signature of hers – never again, since the day he met her, would he be able to even think of a _mikan_ and not imagine her face. A tattoo was just as permanent as the scars he wore all over his body, and it was most appropriate that she had erased the heinous symbol that marred her skin beforehand.

The scar along the back of her arm was the only physical tie to that horrific time in her life now, as even the villagers of Cocoyashi had moved on from the days of Arlong's rule. Indeed, the jagged, violent-looking skin that had been the target of her dagger that fateful day when the fishman's reign had finally fallen had never been scrutinized by him either. The realization that he never saw her would up close prior to this very instant felt wrong, however, he could not think of a time in which he paid it more attention. So, with that in mind, his hand that was resting over her forearm began to stroke it gently while he stared at the raised mess of flesh before him.

It was so very unceremonious, not at all as clean as his trail of kisses had been. He could easily recall the moment he had seen her fall to her knees after the villagers had left her behind in the middle of the village, stomping their way to Arlong Park. Zoro remembered it vividly – the shaking, the way she reached for that dagger and in the blink of an eye, it was in her arm. The way she had screamed that man's name was haunting, so very chilling that it had nearly frightened him with how much hatred and rage she had forced into her voice. Then, she had pulled it out and thrusted it back in. The rawness that was her response to the overwhelming defeat she endured in that moment had been anything but typical of the behaviour she had demonstrated towards them during their visit to her hometown. It had been so eye-opening into the person that Nami truly was: he had never admired her more than he had in that moment.

The moment when she stabbed herself eight times when she had finally fallen apart.

His brows furrowed as he understood just how easily his reflection of her scar had stolen away some of the gentle majesty of his early morning rise. It _had_ been eight times that she had impaled her arm, and it was eight times she screamed his name for whom she had assumed to be no one but her to hear. In the midst of all of her animosity were the grunts of pain she had forced upon herself, but nothing could stop her during her craze except for their captain; only his staying power could compel her to drop her weapon of choice, as well as accept their assistance without the crew even needing to offer.

Those feelings that had inspired her hand to strike were visible in her scar, Zoro believed. Not even the permanent etchings around his ankles – from the time he had been willing to cut off his own feet if it meant setting himself free – looked as inelegant as her self-infliction. There were sharp lines shooting in every direction, the mark running quite long on her back. Out of curiosity did he release her waist for a moment or so in order to measure it against the length of his hand: from his wrist to his pinky finger, that it's unofficial sizing. Having the opportunity to pay attention to it now, the swordsman was silently experience the sensation of being awe-stricken by the woman in his arms.

Of all of the people who now occupied positions in the Mugiwara crew, Zoro was the greatest expert on what it felt like to be cut by a blade. Even while he could not verify the sharpness of the dagger she had used, the sheer depth she must have reached when the blade disappeared into the muscles in her arm – the hilt having hit the distressed skin around the wound she had given herself – was the most explicit testimony to the pain she had been harbouring for so long…

And to think he nearly charged at her with his Wadou drawn.

Grimacing, the first mate felt so foolish now, after two years, to admit that in his haste he had nearly believed Johnny's words and…who knows what he would have done to Nami if that shitty cook didn't stop him. He had not been blinded by his concern for his friend, no. The interactions that the two of them had shared during their adventure on that island in particular had been such a whirlwind of experiences.

He had arrived there hating her while carrying orders to retrieve her.

He had believed for but a moment that she was genuinely a horrible person, a pirate worse than he'd ever seen.

He had realized that she'd nearly fooled him and leapt into the pool while bounded by ties in order to show her just how strongly he knew that she was better than what she was pretending to be.

He had nearly taken back his good faith when she punched him in his injured gut and sent him to prison.

He had given up trying to understand her when she freed him from his cell and returned the Wadou to him.

Encountering her on the path back to Cocoyashi Village succeeding Johnny's claim that she murdered Usopp was simply the final straw in his otherwise confusing day. Or rather, it was the last instance of her bewildering him personally, as the sight of her with that dagger in her hand had rattled his bones. For someone such as he who had never even considered self-harm in all of his life, it nearly sickened him worse than watching a fallen foe bleed out before him. She had been officially freed of the title of an enemy by the kindness of her sister and her willingness to share Nami's past with them…

Until it all boiled to the surface and she suffered through all that she had supressed with the help of a single blade.

"Mmm," groaned the woman who occupied his thoughts as she suddenly began to rise. Zoro felt her shift in order to rub her eyes, just so she could look at him clearly when she turned herself into his body. With her tattooed shoulder now pressed against the very part of his chest that housed his heart, Nami smiled at him softly as she greeted him. "G'morning."

"Morning." Answered her lover in a meaningful tone. After having examined her trademark scars, he instantly took to taking in the sight of her face while she lavished in the feeling of a proper, fulfilling rest. Whenever she was calm and close like this, it was almost insane to imagine a time in which he hadn't wanted her by his side as she was now.

"What's wrong?" asked the navigator as she sifted through the apparent emotions that were visible in his expression, or so he assumed.

Feigning ignorance easily enough, Zoro brushed away her concern, "Nothing. I'm just waiting for you to give me my arm back." To prove his point, he jostled the limb beneath her.

That Cheshire grin of hers still looked quite sleepy as she replied, "I'm not done with it yet, though."  
"Hmph." Was his solid reply.

"You sure you're okay? You never let go of me until we're ready to move, when we sleep together like this." Never before had she been brave enough to state the romanticisms of their time as a couple, and hearing her speak of one of their routines warmed him deeply, more than he might be willing to ever articulate.

He leaned in though, and shared his happiness with her through a gentle peck on her temple. "You have the blanket to cover you, if I'm not."

"If I wanted the blanket, I would have just taken it from you sometime during the night."

"Then why do we even lay them out in the first place?"

"So that we can sleep naked without someone accidentally coming up here and seeing us."

Zoro refrained from rolling his eyes at her whenever there weren't people to witness his exhaustion of her antics and agree with him. Instead, he dropped his forehead against hers and stared down into her big, brown eyes. "I would hear them climbing the ladder long before they reached the hatch." He explained with a drowsy yet firm-sounding voice.

Without hesitation did Nami reply, "And if Luffy happens to get up before us, and slingshot himself up here?" He barely had any time to consider how uncomfortable such a situation would be before his supposedly adoring lover began to laugh at his anxious expense. A heavy frown quickly took over his facial features, but those nimble hands of hers acted just as swiftly and drew him in for an insincerely apologetic kiss.

And as she her lips left his, Zoro truly observed the woman before him. Excusing their conversation, he openly took in the sight of Nami the navigator laying somewhat beneath him, showing him her most genuine grin. The vision before him clashed so harshly with the memories he had been experiencing just before she had finally awoken, and to think that the two women were one in the same person – the tattoo and scar confirming their identities – was astounding to his otherwise witless mind.

All he could comprehend then and there was that he was so very proud of the woman who was his lover, having reflected upon the journey that turned her into who she was today.

"You're amazing." Atypical of his usual behaviour, Zoro let the compliment escape his thought process and leave his mouth as he felt that she truly deserved his praise. She did not need it, oh no, regardless, it felt right that she know on occasion how he saw her: as the truly wonderful person that she was.

Sadly, she assumed that he was being sarcastic after the teasing way she had spoken to him; rolling her eyes at him, she decided to turn away from his hold and reach for her nightgown that was resting just out of reach next to their cluttered sheets. In doing so, she brought her left shoulder into his view again and it inspired him to make good on the promise of his words to her.

Zoro brought his lips down and kissed the middle of her self-inflicted scar.

Neither of them moved as the sun rose higher in the early morning sky, until his kiss caused an obvious shudder to travel along her skin. Slowly but surely did Nami return to previous pose of resting against his chest, eyes sparkling with curiosity as to the validity of his kindness and actions. Once more did he lean in so that he could kiss her, this time gracing her lips with a great deal more power behind them. He channeled every ounce of emotion that she had provided him with in the few minutes in which he had been awake, along with his gratitude for allowing him to be the one to appraise her so.

Zoro decided then, in that moment, that he would need to add that same spot along her scar to his morning ritual of kisses from that point onward, if it would instill in Nami just as much joy as it gave him to be the one lying next to her each and every day.

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 **Author's Notes:**

This one is romantic, and I really love that it's Zoro who is being the romantic person in this scene. I think he could be really sweet and tender when the mood strikes him, and so that's why I set this one up so much to be that sort of setting for his mind to wander. We never get to see Zoro's reaction to what Nami did that day in the Arlong Arc, so I thought I would take this opportunity to try it out! Hope you enjoyed it, and hope to see you again tomorrow!


	5. Never Let You Fall

_**Never Let You Fall**_

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 05:** Cash Only / Join Me at the Casino

 **Rating:** T (some violence)

 **Summary:** Nami gave herself over to a group of bounty hunters in order to save her friends.

 **Word Count:** 3,197 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' "Your Guardian Angel" while writing this, which is one of my all-time favourite songs. It really impacted my writing of this story, so please try listening to it while you read. Thanks!

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She didn't regret her decision – anything to keep her nakama safe! Even if it meant sacrificing herself to the bounty hunters that had been hunting them for the last few months, relentless until they managed to capture one of the infamous Mugiwara, hoping to cash in on the fame and fortune that would inevitably follow, she would not change a single thing about the strategy she had devised. Nami would never be able to tell the world how she had turned herself into a distraction so that Usopp could escape and warn the others. No, the Falconers behaved more like stereotypical pirates than her own crew did and were much too proud to admit that they had captured nothing that wasn't given to them tonight.

They were also much more ruthless than she had originally anticipated, but it wasn't anything she could not handle.

Her wrists were bound at her back and yet she tried to walk tall, confident, uninterested in their snickering and cocky debates of what they planned to do with her sixty-six million bounty. They had her blindfolded too, covering their bases of keeping their hideout a secret even though they were already anticipating their victory. She had not felt truly disoriented though until she was shoved from behind; the laughter of the fiendish hunters rose to such heights that it muted the sound of her heels clicking against the cobblestones beneath her feet while she did her best not to fall. Their voice angered her – revived something deep and hateful inside of her – yet she continued to appear unfazed.

Nami knew what it meant to not give into the jabs her captors would make.

She would not show the least bit of discomfort, anger or fear on her face.

Nobody would make her feel frightened by pushing her around ever again.

But she had heard word of the Falconers before in the papers, and she would be lying if she didn't at least admit to herself that they were a fearsome bunch. Long before they had been trailing her nakama after encountering their ship on the open seas of the New World, Nami had read about them constantly in the gossip columns, where their conquests were constantly discussed. Many pirates fell to their greed and villainy – bounties ranging from newcomers to some of Luffy's peers from Dressrosa – which was why she had been slightly concerned when their ships had nearly collided out at sea. Several months later, her capture was the apparent result of the escape she had devised for them that day. How appropriate.

What wasn't appropriate was the way her captors allowed her to walk into the doorframe of whatever building they had led her to. Her forehead had taken the brunt of the impact, her nose thankfully spared, but her ego was made to suffer most of all; clearly anticipating her crash, the entire crew of the Falconers released boisterous laughter that did nothing but add insult to her injury.

She bit the inside of her cheek as hard as she could to avoid showing how angry she was, refusing to allow herself to play the victim to their cruelty.

A heavy-footed kick was delivered to her backside in an attempt to force her forward and out of the doorway. Her lips parted for a startled gasp, but she was thankful that it was empty of any sound. Nami continued to stroll into the mysterious space while her mind pushed itself into overdrive; they were on land still, meaning they were not boarding the Falconer's Jailbird, bobbing on the waters down at the island's port; the air was drier where they were, too, which indicated that they had led her somewhere higher than sea level; there was a great deal of whispering going on, the noise level heavily implying that she was outnumbered a few hundred to one; along with the occupancy, the abundance of sound helped her to determine that they were in a large room, one without much ventilation like a bar or a warehouse.

Oh, Lord, if there had been a Marine base on the island this whole time!

"Well now," came the inebriated drawl of a deep-voiced woman. "What do we have here? You actually brought me back something this time."

The man at her back – most likely the one who had kicked her – whined while remaining mostly emotionless, "She's one of their weaker members right? Second lowest in their crew."  
"Mm, that's true. Just figured she'd have more fight in her than to let you all be the ones to bring her in." Teased the woman who appeared to be the leader of the group, what with the way she casually talked down to Nami's escorts.

Slightly taken aback, the man whimpered, "C-Captain Corday…"

"So? Let me see her already!" Their leader was not at all subtle in bypassing her crew mate's taken offense. Her blatant lack of concern for her men caused them to strip Nami of her blindfold with a great deal more aggression than was necessary, and she felt some of her precious orange strands forcibly tugged from her head. But as her brown eyes rose and adjusted to the lighting, she did not show the Falconer's leader the slightest bit of pain when meeting her amused expression.

The woman was muscular, physically intimidating while radiating a great deal of womanly finesse. She dressed more like royalty than a bounty hunter, as if her clothing would speak for her record of capturing pirates without her needing to tell tales of her successes and brag openly. Also a redhead, she had a much darker, more sinister of shade in her hair, while her eyes were grey, reminiscent of a foreboding fog. Everything about Captain Corday implied that she was a force of nature – the air around her crackling as if a storm was constantly brewing in her presence – and Nami hoped that her expertise in handling the weather meant that she would survive her captor's inclinations.

One, of which, was about to be revealed. "Cat Burglar Nami…what an honour it is, to have a member of the Mugiwara before me."

"Tch," feigning disinterest, it was all Nami could do not to laugh at the poor attempt at luring her into a false sense of security. "An honour, or a piss off? You've been following us for so long, it's amazing you had time to turn in any other pirates and keep your profits going. We all have our obsessions, but you're not the first to hunt Luffy down so I guess I never expected this to happen."

Captain Cordy rose from her seat in the middle of the room, the space decorated like a palace's great hall merging poorly with a dive of a bar. Her boots made a heavy thud instead of the expect click-clack as she approached the navigator. The man behind Nami placed his hands on her shoulders and _sounded_ as if he smirked while he forced her to her knees. Unprepared, her legs were awkwardly sprawled out on either side of her body while the imposing woman asked, "You let your guard down." It wasn't a question nor a statement.

The power play of positioning her on the ground did not go unnoticed, yet Nami did not intend to bend in the slightest. She could not decide at first if she should allow herself to smirk until the urge overtook her. With a dignified expression of her own, she shot back and said, "I let my crew get away."

A hush fell upon the rambunctious room as one by one, the words she had spoken threatened the joy of every single person present. The revelation of Nami's plan was just as offensive as if she had spat in Captain Cordy's face; even implying that her snatchers had only bested her because she had essentially given them the permission to was a terribly risky admittance. It was equally insulting if someone had insisted that Luffy wouldn't become king of the pirates, or—  
Captain Cordy was easy to rile, it seems, as she dropped her massive boot onto Nami's right knee.

"Whether you let us capture you, or you are just trying to be strong," whispered the gargantuan woman as she leaned forward to speak to her prisoner. It was most likely another intimidation tactic, and yet all Nami could focus on was the added weight being placed upon her leg! Pressure was imposing on her knee at such an odd angle due to her informal seated position that it felt as if her knee cap would crack at any moment! "I am still going to spend your bounty the same way.  
"How should I do it? Huh? Everyone! Got any ideas!?" She invited her fellow hunters to contribute to the otherwise pointless conversation, as the navigator couldn't bear to focus on anything other than the focal point of her pain. Warning bells were going off inside of her head, rattling her body, for fear that her leg was about to give way and shatter against the ground.

That mattered not to the Falconers, though. "We could buy a second ship!"

She wouldn't give in and scream.

"Or maybe we could finally afford a decent meal? Some top shelf booze, too!"  
She could grimace – or rather, she could not stop herself from showing the physical hurt in her expression – but nothing more.

"We should buy ourselves a pet like the one those Mugiwara have. Maybe an actual falcon!"  
Let them laugh at their ridiculous jokes! Nami would not show weakness to Captain Cordy or any of her heartless followers!

"Well, no matter what we buy, I do have one request of the Marines that we give her to." Voice low, those sinister words instilled a wave of nausea in an already stressful situation. The muscles in her strained leg were crying while the men and women in the room begged to know what this special request might be. All Nami desired was for her knee to be freed from such hefty torture!

Captain Cordy showed no restraint as she leaned in – forcing her entire body to lean over her stationed foot – and made sure that Nami hollered in pain just so she could raise her voice higher and proclaim, "I'm going to ask for our reward in cash only! So I can count every beri that she's worth one by one, then spend it like it's nothing! Here here!"

Before her crew could reply, the lights in the room flickered before cutting out entirely.

Murmurs of confusion and blame began to filter throughout the space. Nothing seemed to be worthy of Captain Cordy's attention aside from the Nami and her suffering, but after a few moments, an odd sounding grunt made her jolt. Another person cried out from the opposite side of the hideout, and then a third person sounded as if their jaw had been shattered due to a blunt impact. Chaos had suddenly ensued for the Falconers and it was their turn to be blinded.

While the Mugiwara made mincemeat of them, no doubt.

The relief that coursed through her was not enough to truly conquer the anguish emanating from her knee, but when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist from behind, Nami knew right away that she had nothing more to fear. The awkward embrace meant that she was being tugged away from Captain Cordy and her imposing boot, making her wince quite soundly for her rescuer to hear. One of Usopp's phoenixes lit up the darkened room and the navigator threw her eyes upwards to look at the face of her saviour in the hopes of finding herself some salvation.

Roronoa Zoro was ever so pacifying to her as he glared at Captain Cordy with the utmost hatred.

The light of the fiery phoenix lasted just long enough for Nami to witness the _swordsman_ landing a solid punch to the Falconer's leader's face. With so much force, he was able to send her backwards, releasing the mutilated knee she had been stomping on. A cry of relief escaped the navigator against her best wishes, but it was inconsequential as she listened to the multitude of French words and rubber-related attack names fire off like verbal artillery; her nakama had arrived and no matter how many members were present, all that mattered was that she was going to be saved.

"C'mon." Zoro instructed her without much instruction as he bent down at her side. He quickly snatched up one of her hands and put it on the back of his shoulder, indicating that he planned to carry her out via a piggy back ride.

As nostalgic as it was – down to her injury! – Nami knew she wouldn't be able to straddle his waist properly in order to keep herself attached to him. "I can't! Zoro, m-my knee." _Shit_ , why was she stuttering!?

There was a split second of contemplation between the two of them, and then it was gone. She could tell through the darkness of the room that he had stood up again, but he seemed to be fidgeting with something at his side before he bent down to scoop her up into his arms—

He had…sheathed his swords in order to carry her out.  
"No, Zoro! Put me down! I can just follow you out!" Her memory of Alabasta was over already; there was no possible way she would allow him to put himself at risk when the Falconers were surely taking up arms against the Mugiwara assault! If anything happened to him because of her now, it would most likely harm her greater than any old boot could. She would most likely always believe that Zoro was the strongest man she knew. Nevertheless, a great deal of his power was channeled through his weapon of choice, she knew.

The swordsman made a familiar sound in response, "Tch." Then, he began to run towards the open door of the strange building they all occupied, taking his direction from the natural moonlight that was fluttering in. Her hands gripping onto his shirt of their own accord was not an action committed out of fear for his sense of direction or for his life while he was unarmed – no, she was no longer distraught while in his arms.  
And that was why she held onto him: to have that feeling of peace securely in her grasps.

They broke free of the harmful doorway and were greeted at once by a view that would have been most enchanting, if not for the circumstances in which they had found it. There were many hills to be traversed if they planned to reach the Sunny in the distance, the moon's reflection dancing to the ocean's tempo giving the impression that the horrors she had faced tonight were nothing more than a dream and she had awoken to a tranquil reality.

If not for her horribly bruised leg, she might have been able to believe that such a fantasy were true.

"Shit!" The sudden curse startled her, and Nami looked up to observe Zoro's expression. Unfortunately, the side of his body that she was facing was the scarred half of face and his true disposition was cloaked by his injury. However, the exclamation he made was explained when he grumbled, "Your knee looks horrible." The swollen skin, the misshapen appearance, the promising bruise that was already forming had caused the first mate to voice his concern for the navigator; his experience with wounds must have allowed him some medical knowledge, and he could tell just how difficult it would be for her to move about for the next few weeks, at the very least.

But at least she wouldn't be walking through Impel Down…

A bubbling feeling suddenly rose in her chest, compressing her throat, forcing her to emit such an odd sound; it was as if she was hiccupping, or sobbing, or venting her frustrations with incoherent blubbering. No matter the definition of her actions, Nami – a woman who prided herself on endurance, strength of character, tolerance of pain – could not fathom for the life of her why she was suddenly overcome with a need to cry. Yes, her poor leg was tense and immovable for the time being. Yes, she had been captured and treated horribly by the Falconers. Yes, she was viewed as less of a person and more as an entity of monetary value, being prepped to be traded for the very thing she treasured just as greatly as her mikan trees: money.

Couldn't she survive the night without falling to pieces?

She was prepared to demean herself, for allowing some strange emotions that she hadn't even believed she had been feeling to overtake her willpower to remain dignified. The anger, disappointment, lack of respect for herself was about to boil over—

Until it wasn't, when he suddenly informed her, "It's going to take us while to get to Chopper." His words implied that their doctor had waited behind on the ship and hadn't joined the assault on the Falconer's in order to save her. So it was her captain, Usopp, Sanji and Zoro that had formed her rescue party, was it?

Had she unknowingly been faced with a deju vu from Arlong Park too?

"O-Okay." Was the mess of reply she gave him. Glancing down at her throbbing knee, Nami did her best to force herself to at least appear collected for the sake of the swordsman's respect of her. However, when he suddenly leapt over an uneven ledge, her head gently bobbed against his shoulder before resting against it officially. It was an unintentional act, but there was no denying how soothing it was to feel as though she could rest in his arms. Her usual quick mind belated pointed out to her that he hadn't fed her words of encouragement to hold on, or dared to tell her they were almost at the port when he would most likely end up taking them up the other side of the hill they were on any moment; he hadn't fed her lines of comfort, and she hoped it was because he knew she didn't need it.

Zoro's form of comforting her was simply respecting her as she was and doing his best to assist her in any silent way that he could.

Nami hiccupped again as her nails dug deep into the fabric of his shirt. Maybe she would never see the Falconers again, or maybe they would somehow survive the Mugiwara-style throttle that was being bestowed upon them – their survival did not matter to her in the slightest. All she needed now in order to survive the night was to know that she could, she would, and that she had the support of her crew to guarantee her success.  
"Thank you." Whispered the tired woman in the arms of the swordsman. There was no conversation to be had – no exchange of words to address her gratitude – however, Nami could have sworn that his embrace suddenly felt tighter just before she gave way to her mysterious feelings and had herself a good, cathartic cry.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This idea actually came to me in a dream! That might be why it doesn't feel like it really relates to the theme, but I had to rework it and add in Captain Cordy to justify my usage of the idea. I love the respect that these two have for one another, especially in terms of the way they handle themselves in trying situations. Their individual interpretations of independence are the most similar in the crew, I think, and I love highlighting it as much as I can. I also wanted to show Nami's vulnerable side, and explain why she is comfortable showing it in front of Zoro, even when she doesn't understand why that is. Hope it makes sense, gives you some good ZoNa vibes, and I hope to see you again tomorrow!


	6. Survey My Body

**Survey My Body**

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 06:** Map / Road Trip

 **Rating:** T (*wink wink*)

 **Summary:** Sometimes, you only need to discover the way in which a person learns in order to teach them something new.

 **Word Count:** 1,993 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** I listened to "Shark in the Water" by V V Brown while writing this. Feel free to play it in the background while you read, if you want to get into the mood for today's theme~ (I first heard this song on Degrassi… I think they were at a carnival?)

* * *

"Don't you _dare_ put that on me!" Warned Zoro, and he meant every word. However, to Nami's ears, that was the weakest command he had ever attempted to issue to her. It might have to do with his lazy position as he laid sprawled out on her bed, given that the only intimidation he directed towards her was found in the typical foul expression on his face that seemed to be engraved into his features. Her sheets sat appealingly low on his body, and when combined with the way his arms rested behind his head, it gave her the most delicious view of the most manly, muscular, sexy body she had ever seen.  
She couldn't help but bite her lip.

Then, uncap her lipstick.

"Nami!" Now he sounded much more believable in his disdain towards her cosmetic scheme.

Rolling her eyes, Nami let the cap fall unceremoniously to the floor and failed to directly address his protest. Instead, she decided to straddle his body – hovering directly above the edge of that dangerously low sheet – and observe the terrain that was his strapping chest, arms, and torso. She felt him flinch beneath her, and she could not decide if she appreciated that response, or if she should be offended by it. Given the horror she spied behind the steel-shade of his one good eye, she supposed it would not hurt to explain herself.

Her free hand gently patted pelvis in a supposedly comforting manner. "I just going to make sure you don't get lost when we land."

"I won't, okay? And you've never even been here before – you don't even know what you're going to draw." Pointed out the disgruntled man pinned underneath her, the very same lover who had been smiling with evident satisfaction no more than a handful of moments ago.

A swirl of pride circulated within her thin form, giving rise to a rather red glow in her cheeks. "I can surmise a few things about the island before we even get there, just based on what I saw up in the Crow's Nest!" They were both correct in regards to her knowledge of the newly discovered destination she had located; her lack of exploration did mean that she had very little information to provide him with, and yet, all the swordsman really needed to know was the basic layout she could easily assume based off of her findings. The hands she promptly planted on her hips were meant to further demonstrate her confidence in such a claim.

Arching a disbelieving brow towards her, Zoro unenthusiastically asked, "And why can't you draw on yourself?"

The Thousand Sunny rode over a rather large wave, and then another before Nami gave her reply in the form a lone action: she motioned to her voluptuous breasts. She observed the way he looked over her naked bust with both sincere respect and carnal appreciation in one quick glance, only to follow up his intense gaze with an unhappy huff. His arms had since come to rest at his sides and it allowed for his hands to find themselves a place to rest against the smooth skin of her thighs.

It was not a sign of admitted compliance, but she most definitely going to take advantage of the sudden silence.

"Besides," she hummed as she began to lean over him, tracing every single muscle with her adoring eyes, "your body is like a rocky terrain, so it's much more realistic."

"Hmph," scoffed the swordsman. He had openly dismissed her words, yet the tips of his fingers were periodically, almost rhythmically pressing against her flesh, as if massaging her legs absentmindedly. "so do you crumple up your map paper before or after you draw on it?"

"Oh, shut up." Nami reprimanded him, regretful that he managed to force a smile out of her intended frown. He began to show signs of a smirk appearing on his face too, and so the navigator dove right in and placed the tip of her crimson lip stick directly below his right shoulder, at the top of his pectoral. Instantly, his urge to grin dissipated. The grip of his hands intensified too, though she supposed he needed to hold onto something, in order to believe that her map drawing session on his chest was _actually_ happening.

Clearing her throat, Nami drew the outline of a piece of paper as though she was genuinely intending to chart the mysterious island and required the dimensions to be outlined before filling out her grid. She realized how foolish it was to take the playful activity so seriously, and internally decided to fight her natural instinct to draw a compass to indicate orientation.

Even if it might serve him well to have a compass with him at all times.

Hm, a gift idea she would need to consider.

"Okay, so the island looks like it's shaped like a heptagon…" As the word fell from her lips, Nami wondered if the swordsman would know which shape she was referring to in her description. She snuck a peek at his expression in search of any sign of confusion or thoughtfulness, and was surprised herself to see that Zoro was much too focused on her drawing than he was her words. She supposed that it was better that he missed what she had said, in case an argument arose from her questioning of his awareness of geometric shapes. Carrying on, she dragged her lipstick along the seven sides of the nameless island and then drew an oval horizontal oval off to his left.

"What the hell is that?" Questioned her human canvas immediately.

"That's the Sunny, to show you which direction we are coming in from." She explained while tapping the minimalistic representation of their otherwise massive vessel.

Zoro observed her illustration and, after a moment, looked directly into her eyes and stated, "That's just a flat circle."

"Be imaginative!" Ordered the artist in question. Angered by his lack of cooperation, Nami took to drawing the meaning of her name – wave – multiplying as if a storm was circling the isle, and she had summoned it with her wrath.

Zoro caught onto her motivation all most too quickly and attempted to steal the lipstick from her hand. "Oi, oi!" She had anticipated his restless hands trying to steal away her chosen drawing tool at one point or another, and she was instantly ready to draw back her hand in the nick of time. Her empty palm slapped his shoulder and applied a great deal of force to keep him pinned to her bed, even though he could more than easily defy her and perhaps force them to switch positions if he wanted them to. Still, he begrudgingly obeyed and simply mimicked her aggression by returning his hands to their resting place on her thighs with a heavy thud.

"Just stay still! I have very simple instructions to draw out and then you're done, okay?" Being as merciful as she was, Nami decided to compromise on her map's detailing if it meant that he would remain still for just a tad bit longer.

Zoro released a breathy chuckle when he replied, "Then don't attack me. Your little mountains look like I was bitten by a shark."

Little mountains…?

"Zoro…those are waves."  
"What?"

"The island is that shape in the middle! Those are…those are waves, you idiot!" She wanted to scream at him, convey the frustration he had caused her in suggesting that she didn't know how to illustrate water, and even dare him to do a better job than she had!

However, Nami could barely finish her insult due to the overwhelming fit of giggles that had overtaken her. She could not believe the absurdity of his 'interpretation' that it made her even wonder what she saw in such an uncultured brute as Roronoa Zoro! As she felt him grip her legs, using her legs firm placement at his side for leverage as he sat up properly, she knew that their doodling session was officially over.

In all honesty, she didn't know if she could handle another unique analysis of his.

Nami found the strength to look up at him while she sat awkwardly on his newly positioned lap, then she dug deep for the decency to keep her stare locked with his. Those glossed lips of hers curled inward in the hopes that she could control her laughter while facing the brunt of his displeasure; she had turned him into a humanoid piece of chart paper, so it was understandable that he would be annoyed when she laughed at him after—

Her back arched while the prominent touch of his hands slid up the sides of her body. Zoro held her waist in his clutches as they sat on her bed, his anger nearly palpable between them. What was he going to do, toss her off of him in a fit of rage? He had shoved her before in order to protect her – he wouldn't be so cruel due to a bruised ego in the privacy of her quarters, would he!? No, that would be too cruel!

Not as cruel as crushing her body against his and sharing the unfinished map's imprint with her naked body.

"Z-ZORO!" Hollered the unsuspecting navigator, adding on a wordless screech when he began to squirm while gripping her body close to his. His strong arms even wrapped around her back so that she had no hope of escaping his grasps! And just when she thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, the rumbling of his chest as he laughed at her expense resonated in her body, thanks to their now compressed proximity, "Let…go of me!"

He did not try to defend himself, or tell her to relax. Zoro released her in the blink of an eye – revealing the fiendish smirk he wore as if he was proud of what he had done! – and took to observing just how well the transference of her drawing had been with his best effort. Unfortunately for the man inexperienced with the staying power of a lip-staining lipstick, he was met with great disappointment to find that his ploy was ultimately fruitless.

After his blatant attack, Nami refused to restrain her giggling. With that sullen look on his face, Zoro raised his voice over her snickering at his expense as he demanded, "You better get this off of me!"

"C-Come on, let's go to the bathroom." She instructed between the breaths she took in order to survive her fit. She climbed off of him and sauntered her nude body over to the washroom, awaiting to hear the shuffling of sheets that would indicate Zoro joining her at the sink. When he failed to move right away, an idea struck her and she shouted at him, "And don't even think about rubbing it off on my sheets!"

"They need to be washed anyway!" Retorted the demon hunter, the second Supernova of the crew, the hopeful successor to the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman, threatening to smudge her lipstick doodle all over her bed sheets while simultaneously referring to the mess they made of her bed after all of the sex they had had before she decide to draw on him.

She had really found herself a charming lover, hadn't she?

Her first response was a groan of disbelief at his naïve antics. However, when she suddenly met her own gaze in the bathroom mirror and the realization that she never finished her map dawned on her, she surprised herself by refraining from becoming disappointed or angry herself!

No, it was fine – giving him a sponge bath now only meant that she would need to draw a completed map once they had properly explored the island, meaning she had found new motivation to both see him again tonight, and to buy herself a fresh tube of lipstick.

Maybe an orange shade would suit his learning needs a lot better.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Believe it or not, the idea came to me as an interpretation of a scene from Fifty Shades of Grey; Christian allows Ana to draw on him with lipstick in order to indicate where he is and is not comfortable with her touching him, so I took that idea and brightened it up! I really enjoy writing for post-puppy love ZoNa because it means they aren't acting like schoolchildren, you know? They feel like they're acting their ages here and I love it! Hope you did too, and hope to see you again tomorrow!


	7. Jungle Life

_**Jungle Life**_

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 07:** Jungle / Tiger VS Dragon

 **Rating:** K (more fluff!?)

 **Summary:** AU – Human. Nature. That obnoxious cry. (A parody of the Tarzan 2016 tagline)

 **Word Count:** 1,649 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** The soundtrack for Disney's sountrack really helped me right this, but more than anything, it's clear that "Trashin' the Camp" worked best for this scene. Enjoy!

* * *

' _What a strange place._ ' He couldn't help but think as he spied the stationed encampment in his jungle. For years he had lived amongst the wildlife, surrounded by nature, living off of the land, and never before had Zoro come across such a strange set-up that was the fabric-made huts and the strange wooden surfaces and the odd objects that were built from materials that were suddenly placed before him. Such foreign items were resting oh so casually in his territory and it was difficult to decipher whether or not this worried him or excited him.

Franky and Robin would not be happy to know that he came here, but he had simply spied the newly founded nest while swinging upon vines, wandering aimlessly. How was he to know that there would be something new and utterly shocking to be found? This would be something that Luffy and Usopp would love to see, too. He could have just as easily gone to retrieve them…but it would be better for everyone if he surveyed the place before luring his friends or his parents to such an unfamiliar location.

Deciding on his course of action, Zoro slipped through the bamboo stocks and cautiously stepped out into the open. His eyes scanned the land, his nose rose into the air, and both of his senses were immediately overwhelmed with unfamiliarity. So much nature had been cleared away for these encroachers to create their base, the land desecrated down to the very dirt beneath his feet. The sun's warmth appraised his tanned skin kindly due to such a massive opening in the jungle's forestry, only further angering the unsanctioned protector.

Many shelters were standing tall – like the ones that he helped create for his family whenever there was stormy weather to endure – however, he did not know of the crop that created them. Wooden tools resembling the trio of sharp-sticks he had fashioned for hunting were positioned all throughout the area, or rather, he assumed that that was what they were. The array of objects and things he had never witnessed before confused him greatly and he could not afford to wonder what their purpose was, for he would instantly be distracted by something else—

Such as the creature that revealed itself from one of the shelters…who looked more like him than anything else he had ever seen in his life.  
"AH!" Screamed the creature, scrambling away from him the moment their eyes met.

Zoro grunted and took a step backwards in response. He slipped into his combative stance, yet the typical combative urge he felt when faced with a foe was not present. Of course it wasn't, when there was suddenly a creature of _his_ species standing before him.

They were both frozen in place, assessing the other with distrusting eyes, a trace of curiosity glinting in their gazes. From what he could tell, the creature before him seemed… _cleaner_ , as if the encampment allowed for more bathing somehow. Unlike his single string of cloth across his 'manly spear', the creature was covered from top to bottom in strange layers of textures and colours that were not natural to the jungle, especially the tone of the vine-length hair.

It resembled the setting sun, and that soothed him, oddly enough.

"W-Who are you?" Demanded the creature, voice shaken. Zoro cocked his head at the language spoken to him, for he could not understand the meaning. He could communicate with most animals easily, yet the one who looked most like him spoke in a tongue he did not know?

This encounter was so astounding to him, for his mother and father promised him that there were no others like him – he was unique to their band, their monkey family, and he should revel in that fact. There were times when he did not notice the difference in skin between himself and his furry siblings, but how was he to ignore the very real, very similar creature before him now? It was almost too much to stand there, ignoring his heart which demanded to know more.

So, he chose not to waste another second.  
"H-Hold on!" Shouted the creature, removing those crossed arms from the collar of those heavy layers of cloth and revealing an impressively curvy chest; the muscles this creature must possess! "D-Don't come any closer, or I'll—!"

Since he could not make heads or tails of what was being said, Zoro simply obeyed his instinct and began to judge the flowery scent that wafted off of the creature. He walked in a circle in order to assess every detailing of this otherwise skinny figure, which contradicted the massive muscle he observed in the chest area. Nevertheless, from their posture to the make of their hands, they were the same.

When he attempted to compare their fingers, the creature raised that very hand in order to slap him. "Hey! Don't just grab me—!" Quickly, without much thought, he caught the dainty wrist of the assailing hand and prevented it from hitting him. It took little to no effort, and that did not surprise him based off of the bony body that put in the effort to strike him.

No, what did shock him though was the black smudges on the creature's hands.

All of his life, his skin had been tanned but nowhere near dark enough to compare to the padding on the hands of members of his family! And yet the creature before him – the stranger who invaded his jungle and made camp – had both a creamy complexion and the darkened tone that resembled his family's. Out of all of the sights he had seen today, this was indeed the most captivating, for it had been something he had occasionally longed for, ever since he was an infant.

A moment passed, and when the creature hadn't yelled or threatened to hit him again, Zoro forced himself to pull away from his fascination. What he found was not anger or hatred, but there was a hint of kindness in an otherwise blank expression. Before another second could pass them by however, it seemed as though the creature followed an instinct of their own and spoke again, "Who are you?"

Again, he cocked his head at her, this time showing a frown at the questioning tone.  
Furrowed brows, the creature asked again, as if he would suddenly understand, "Who – are –you?"

Once more, he could only offer his greatest show of confusion.

With a heavy sigh of frustration, the creature took advantage of the movement of the hand he was not hold and pointed to themself, only to announce. "Na – mi."

Was…a name being offered? Was the creature trying to inform him of a name? The three shining rocks around her neck was equally alluring, and he felt simple in his ability to be so easily distracted. It had merely reminded him of his preference of carrying three spears when he hunted, and so he nearly lost himself in the dazzling reflection he saw in the golden stones that dangled above her hand. He grunted with apparent enthusiasm, a cheeky grin on his face. And so, repeating the gesture, he was told was again, "Na – mi." Then, that instructive hand was placed on his chest.  
"Zo – ro." He proclaimed eagerly, hoping he understood the game.  
"Zo – ro!" The way his name was exclaimed was so exciting, so invigorating! It felt amazing to know that he had communicated with a new breed of animal – one that looked like him! The smile he received confirmed their mutual enthusiasm and it made him feel compelled to learn even more from the creature.

"Nami!? Is that you!?" Out of nowhere, another voice called out the creature's name, stealing away some of the majesty of the moment. Zoro attempted to step in front of Nami, protecting her from the unknown entity that was approaching.

"Ah, yes! I-I'm fine!" She yelled back, understandably using that unknown language to address the mysterious figure in the jungle. But what was not so easily comprehend was that smudge-bearing hand tugging on Zoro's shoulder as Nami tried to draw his attention in the opposite direction. Whispering harshly, a warning was given to him, " _Go_!"

His neck was going to be quite sore from all of the times he had tilted his head in this lone, confusing conversation.

Nami groaned and began tossing her arms in the direction she was hoping he would take a sudden interest in. "Go! _Go_! GO!"

The shuffling behind them – from the direction of the other possible member of his species – implied that the intruders to their first meeting were very, very close. Zoro was not so unintelligent that he could not decipher her meaning in asking him to leave, and for fear of overstepping his bounds as a member of his own family, he decided to abide by Nami's wishes and take his leave. One last, firm grunt was the end of their interaction before he took three large steps and found himself in the trees once more.

The rumble of voices grew distant as he traversed the jungle again, almost as if hadn't just met this _Nami_. This fascinating creature who had just revealed to him that he was not alone in his kind… Though their strengths could not possibly be measured, her energy was feisty, lively and prominent – she had what it took to survive in a jungle environment, just as he had.

There was so much to learn about Nami, so much more he wanted to discover about the creature who resembled him far more than any other hairy, scaly, or otherwise rough skinned animal in the land he had been raised in, called his home.

A smirk overtook his face as he reached for a vine, taking off into a powerful swing as he screamed at the top of his lungs, " _Ahhhh-ah-ah-ahhhhh, ah-ahhh!_ "

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Please don't question when jungle animals have English names, or why British people have Japanese ones, ha ha. I am actually going to see the movie this weekend, so I thought I should use the Tarzan yell that Zoro loves to do as a basis for today's theme! Clearly, I drew inspiration from the Disney version though, ha ha. "Three-pronged Earring" was also one of the themes for the ZoNami Week Poll, so I decided to add that into the mix. This one is my shortest story because I am considering writing this AU out fully, and because I have to prepare for another OTP event for another fandom! Hopefully, this story was still enjoyable, and that you'll come back again tomorrow for the Bonus Day!

P.S. Sorry for the late posting! This was completed during ZoNami Week and I just got swamped!


	8. When I Touch You (Can You Feel It?)

_**When I Touch You (Can You Feel It?)**_

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 **ZoNami Week – Day 08:** Feudal Era Rainy Day

 **Rating:** M (emotional lemon)

 **Summary:** AU – Sitting in her room on a rainy day, Nami – the famous geisha – receives word that her favourite client has come to visit her.

 **Word Count:** 2,625 words

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 **PLEASE NOTE:** Weirdly, I listened to "Misery" by The Moffats while writing this…not the song I expected, but it did the trick!

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Droplets fell from the sky and gave nourishment to the garden beyond her room. Her body rested against the frame of the open _shoji_ , the paper lining of the door shivering due to the chilling breeze that accompanied the rain. The kimono that adorned her body had fallen to reveal a great deal of her upper body, but Nami felt no need to cover herself even when she too began to shudder. The late autumn temperatures could not begin to coax a reaction from her tired body, as her heart had long since closed to the purity of sensations that life had to offer her, taking with it any sort of responsiveness that she had remaining. All she could do when she was between clients for the day was read, or, on a fortunate day such as this, take advantage of something other than a paying customer's wallet and enjoy something for herself.

Any sort of refuge she could find under Arlong-sama's diligent rule were moments she savoured as they occurred, then released them from her memory so as not to dwell on the only luxuries she could not afford: peace, solidarity, and freedom. It was quite a world to live in, where the best furniture and trinkets that _ryo_ could buy was behind her, and all of nature's natural riches laid out before her eyes. The garden was a scenic ploy to fool the women into believing that the outside world was nothing greater than the trees and the flowers and the koi pond awaiting them every day they opened their doors. Fools they were, if they honestly accepted that there was truly nothing beyond the walls the confined them to their brothel of a home.

In all her years as a geisha, there had only ever been one man that was tempting enough to expose her falsehood of endurance for such a life.

"Onami, you have a customer." Came the voice of her protégé from the only other entrance to her room, the one that allowed her clients in. Disinterested in losing her serenity so suddenly, the experienced geisha frowned at the sight she was in the midst of cherishing before a surprise guest was summoning her for their pleasure. Nami did not move in the slightest, feigning unawareness of the order.

"Um…O-Onami?" whimpered the poor girl, fearful of the response that the customer might have. Let him grow angry, let him try to force himself upon her in an act of rage for her disobedience – such behaviour was nothing new to her worn body. Nothing was, anymore.

A pronounced stomp into the room, followed by another, and then a deep voice called to her with the utmost respect and placidity. "Oi, Nami."

That frown of hers rescinded at once, upon hearing her name. With a demure form of impatience did she swivel in place in order to guarantee that she had been graced by the gods to entertain the man for whom she had been pining. There, standing before her, with his disheveled style of dress and his obscure hair colour was none other than her favourite samurai: Roronoa Zoro. The scar that concealed his left eye was new, but she knew better than to show any sort of response to the men who sought her out, including concern.

Nevertheless, _he_ was here to see _her_ , and the very real awareness that he could have chosen any woman on the property as his partner for the next hour or so meant the world to her already warped sense of self.

Both sets of doors were meant to close, but Zoro began to approach her when she rose to her feet and implied with a lone gesture of his hand that he preferred for the rainy weather to accompany them. Appreciative of his corresponding desire, Nami chose to greet him then and there, "Good evening, Zoro-sama. What can I do for you, today?"

There gazes met, clashing like the swords he carried at his hip, the collision between their palpable energies creating sparks as if they were immediately forced into a vicious battle. As if sensing her interpretation of their exchange of energy, his lone eye rolled down her body to rest on her exposed chest while his hands busied themselves with removing his infamous weapons from their resting place. He was informing her of his obvious purpose in her room without the need for words, and Nami was quite content with the lack of a conversational exchange if it meant she could have him inside of her once again.

Again, he took those powerful steps to approach, yet this time, she was much more responsive in the way she lifted her hands from her sides in order to cup his face the moment he came within reach. She did not force his lips to crash into hers, but she had every right to believe that the undeniable impatience in her actions had something to do with the speed in which they kissed. Fervent, unceremonious, desperate, they clung to each other as though their reunion was long overdue after that ethereal encounter between them many moons ago.

An affair she had long since craved and fended off daily without him there to cleanse her of her misery.

Zoro's mighty hands found the tie of her _obi_ and tore through its intricate bow without remorse. She could feel the layers upon layer that clothed her body fall away slowly and it felt ever so empowering to have him be the one to expose her to the stormy weather just outside her room. Ripping his lips off of hers as though it caused him great pain to do so, the samurai removed her hands from his face if only to allow her clothing to fall onto the _tatami_ beneath their feet. Now, with nothing but the pins in her hair to keep it bound behind her head, she was free of all earthly possessions, standing before him without a shred of decency to conceal her naked body. It was absolutely exhilarating to endure the scrutiny of his gaze, more so than anything she had experienced in a great long while.

How greedy she was, wanting to return the favour, and yet he refused to allow her to reach for the folds of his kimono. Confused, Nami nearly sulked at his blatant rejection while he held her wrists in his hands. However, Zoro took advantage of his grasp and led her swiftly to the _roka_ on which she had been occupying before his arrival. It was no doubt a deliberate attempt to confuse her and she pretended as though his odd decision to lead them outside wasn't at all off-putting in their otherwise passionate moment.

Although she need not pretend when he took his seat along the other edge of the wooden ledge and then proceeded to guide her onto his lap, her body facing outward toward her precious garden.

"Z-Zoro-sama," she meant to question him, prepared to beg for some sort of explanation for many of the choices he was making during their rendezvous. She rarely had the chance to see him, experience him, and his peculiar actions were enough to make her grow quite curious. He did not wish to strip it seemed, which was a choice some men had made in the past and she did not judge them; being the only one naked during a session was never something she shied away from. Why he wanted to keep his sculpted body from her though, she could not comprehend nor find agreement with.

Those beads of rain that had gathered on the roof above the _roku_ splashed down upon her bare thighs without warning, nearly stealing her attention away from the man at her back. Or rather, it had the potential to do so until he free his cock from the folds of his clothes and edged it against her womanhood secretly. Nothing else mattered in that moment than for her chance to truly savour one of her many encounters with her clients and so Nami wrapped her arms around his neck at such an awkward angle, if only to show him just how eager she was for any sort of contact between them.

The way he plunged inside of her was a great deal more impactful than a simple kiss or an embrace.

A moan was sung for all of the garden to hear when he first reached that sweet spot inside of her. Those paw-like hands of his found her hips and clamped down while he found his barring in their unique position, but he could not hide the shaken gasp that escaped him when the warmth of her silken walls encased his manhood deep within her. The muscles in her lower stomach spasmed in anticipation of what he could potentially instill in her, from jubilation to an overwhelming sexual rapture. With a small buck of her hips, she urged him to proceed with his need of her body at the mere thought of truly enjoying an orgasm for the first time in the many months that had passed since the last time he provided her with one.

Zoro did not need much prompting; before she could comprehend the shift in his position, he began to thrust his hips and drive his shaft inside of her over and over again.

There was no pain, no need for lubrication when she wanted to be completed by him just as desperately as he had needed her services for. The mist that cloaked the garden threatened to rub against her nude skin and Nami welcomed it spitefully, knowing she was far too gone to the throes of her arousal to feel anything but heat, dire need to have her days, nights, life filled with moments such as this. She could feel every stretch of muscle responsible for driving him inside of her as it moved against her backside, giving the experience an even more realistic and grounding quality than she cared to acknowledge with anyone else.

The demon samurai was working exceptionally hard in order to bring them both to their peaks.

She listened to his three-pronged earrings jingle in time with each animalistic motion he made, and it was just as charming as it was compelling, forcing her to keep her pace in time with his. The force of her need, desire, craving for him was burning through her body and turning dark, mindless in the way it possessed her. Playing the part of an enthralled lady was an easy feat for her to accomplish at this point in her career, but to genuinely endure the pressure of euphoria as it sunk its teeth into her was beyond compare. Tension coiling in her belly, the first wave of pleasure nearly washed over her without hesitation.  
"Come with me." Zoro dared to whisper in her ear as she was facing the very real threat of multiple orgasms crashing down on top of her.

"W… _What_?" She cried in response to his inane demand. One of his firm hands found her neck and held it within its grasp, turning her to face his serious, determined expression while he repeated himself.  
"Come with me."  
"Wh…Where? Mm, oh, Zoro-sama, _please_ …!" To end her torture, to continue making her cum until she was wasted away, to cease his foolish askance of her; it was unclear what she meant when she cried out to him, but her need of him did not cease.

His speed did, in order to gain her focus. While she groaned, he explained, "I have…enough money to support us. I can take care of you, b-bring you home with me."  
"W- _Where_ 's home?" Her voice was strained as she inquired. A part of her dared to learn more about his sudden and inappropriate offer, while another simply wished for them to finish their sexual escapade with true satisfaction.

"Y-You'll see if you, _rrgh_ , come with me!" Anger crippled his gentle approach as he too was quarreling with the deep-rooted desire to climax inside of her welcoming body. Just hearing his impatience riled her all over again, knowing that he was requesting her as if he required her in his life down the road, for more than just the services she was expected to provide.

Tears sprang forth in her eyes as the rain continued to spill all over her bare legs. "Please…don't…!" It was something she said to many men, usually fully entailing the sentiment of 'don't stop'. In this instance, however, it was all she could do not to pull herself away from his warm body and his beautiful promises and demand to have them both for the rest of her days. Especially when Zoro leaned in and kissed her into silence, forcing her to endure the powerful, meaningful upward plunge of his cock.

In between wet lips did he ground out, "I will…take care of you, Nami." He promised her again for the second time in a matter of moments. Those words were so very enticing, even if she was not meant to have them. But with him…

She did her best to drop her body's meager weight onto his lap so that she could stall his movements. "Zoro-sama, please, don't do this—!" The unstoppable urge to gasp nearly struck her down when the samurai took both of her hips into his hands and controlled their rolling motion, so that he could be the master of both of their pleasure while he awaited her proper reply.

" _Oh_ …! Oh, _Kami-sama_ …!"

"N-Not him, me! L-Let me try, Na- _mi_!"

"Mmm, oh, I-I'm…!"

"Not until you _tell me_! Tell me _yes_ , dammit!"

"I-I can't—!"  
"Yes, you CAN! C'mon Nami, come _with_ me!"

"Y-YES!" She screamed at the top of her lungs when her orgasm finally plundered her body without restraint, without any semblance of control. Her mind had ceased to process what she had cried out while enthralled by his love-making as she came harder than she could ever recall in her entire life. In Zoro's last thrust, he had lost his pacing for but a second, allowing him to slip away, only to charge forth one last time and fill her completely with his essence. Her inner thighs spasmed, her eyes were closed tightly, her mouth agape; Nami had never known sex to provide her with such an all-consuming, absolutely renewing experience. Staring blankly at her soaked garden that might very likely no longer be hers, the geisha-turned-samurai wife truly felt as if she had been reborn in the moment when she had given into her bewitching ardor and sacrificed all so that she could answer her him as honestly as she could.  
Breaking through the hefty panting, that gruff voice of his dared to ask, "Y-Yes?" Even the instinct-driven warrior who had dared to ask her to make a life-changing decision while submitting to her carnal needs was wise enough to confirm with her that her answer was true.

But how could she take back her word when it was all she really had? Moments before he had arrived, she had been internally mocking those who never sought to see beyond the borders of the brothel, seeing them as Arlong's mindless puppets with no real value. And now, the man of her literal dreams had presented her with a chance to unshackle herself from the nightmare that had been her life for the past however many years…

Who was she to turn down the request of a customer, after all?

Barely audible over the pitter-patter of the rain, Nami turned her soulful gaze away from her once treasured garden and its mikan-bearing tree in the very center, then repeated her answer with genuine heart, "Yes."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Very little dialogue, but I felt that such a tense situation did have the need for it. I had another idea for this theme that was less…serious, but it was actually the basis for one of my entries in the 100 Theme Challenge for ZoNa on the Google+ community, called Orange x Green, in case you'd like to check it out! I wrote this story after Day 4's actually, so I think the Arlong flashbacks were still present in my mind when I needed to create a new concept for this story. Hope it was a juicy ending to ZoNami Week, and I hope to see you again at the next event we host!

 **Remember to follow ZoNamiEvents on tumblr for more Zoro and Nami love fests in the future!**


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